Portland/Bangor, ME – The U.S. Marshals Service in Maine is
warning the public today of a telephone scam involving fraudulent
callers contacting members of the public and alleging they, or their
family members, have an active federal arrest warrant and demanding
payment of fines.
Recently, there were reported attempts of
fraudulent callers who identified themselves as an affiliate to the
United States Marshal. The caller states that subjects are “in big
trouble” and informs the potential victims that warrants were being
sought or issued for them and/or their family members due to being
absent from a federal grand jury, overdue taxes, or other personal
debts.
The potential victims are then informed they
could avoid arrest by paying a fine by electronic fund transfer, money
orders, cash cards or cashier’s check. The Marshals Service became aware
of the scam after receiving multiple calls seeking information from
alerted citizens.
The U.S. Marshals Service is a federal law
enforcement agency with the Department of Justice and does
not seek payment of fines or fees via the telephone for
individuals with outstanding arrest warrants.
The U.S. Marshals Service urges individuals not
to divulge personal or financial information to unknown callers and
highly recommends the public report similar crimes to their local police
departments. If you believe you are a victim of fraud, report the
incident through the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at
www.ic3.gov. Also, you should report
online, business, or phone scams to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
immediately at
www.reportfraud.ftc.gov.
Additional information about the U.S. Marshals Service can be found
at http://www.usmarshals.gov.
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America’s
First Federal Law Enforcement Agency