COLUMBIA, S.C. – The U.S. Marshals in the District of South Carolina are alerting the public of an imposter phone scam where con artists are spoofing the district office’s real number to trick people into sending money.
The U.S. Marshals are urging people to report the calls to their local FBI office (https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us), and file a consumer complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, which has the ability to detect patterns of fraud from the information collected and share that data with law enforcement.
During these calls, scammers attempt to collect a fine in lieu of arrest for failing to report for jury duty or other offenses. They then tell victims they can avoid arrest by purchasing a prepaid debit card such as a Green Dot card or gift card and read the card number over the phone to satisfy the fine.
Scammers use many tactics to sound credible. They sometimes provide information like badge numbers, names of actual law enforcement officials and federal judges, and courthouse addresses.
U.S. Marshal Griffin has indicated that phone scams of this nature are often managed and coordinated by persons currently incarcerated and housed in the state prison system. Offenders rely heavily on contraband cell phones in order to continue to operate their criminal enterprise. The proceeds are then utilized to support other criminal gang initiatives.
If you believe you were a victim of such a scam, you are encouraged to report the incident to your local FBI office and to the FTC.
Things to remember:
* U.S. Marshals will never ask for credit/debit card/gift card numbers, wire transfers, or bank routing numbers for any purpose.
* Don’t divulge personal or financial information to unknown callers.
* Report scam phone calls to your local FBI office and to the FTC.
* You can remain anonymous when you report.
*nIf scammer provides a court order, authenticate the call by calling the clerk of the court’s office of the U.S. District Court in your area and verify the court order given by the caller. www.us marshals.gov.