Portland/Bangor, ME – The U.S. Marshals are alerting the public
of a scam involving individuals claiming to be U.S. Marshals. During
these calls, scammers attempt to collect money via phone in lieu of
having further legal problems. The scammers claim that individuals need
to “post bond” or face losing their jobs, custody of their children, or
other consequences.
Scammers use many tactics to sound and appear
credible. They sometimes provide information like badge numbers and/or
names of actual law enforcement officials. Scammers may also spoof their
phone numbers to appear on caller IDs as if they are calling from a
government agency like the U.S. Marshals.
If you believe you were a victim of such a scam,
you are encouraged to report the incident to your localFBI office
and to the FTC.
Things to remember:
U.S. MARSHALS WILL NEVER ask for credit/debit
card/gift card numbers, wire transfers, orbank routing numbers
for any purpose.
NEVER 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.
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.
####America’s
First Federal Law Enforcement Agency