Massachusetts State Police, US Marshals, warn of uptick in scam

The Massachusetts State Police Commonwealth Fusion Center has received reports of an increase nationwide of a particular phishing scheme that occurs over the phone.

Scammers call unsuspecting victims claiming to be U.S. Marshals and demand they comply with their instructions. The imposters claim the victims have outstanding warrants, court/legal fees, or particular payments that are owed to avoid arrest or jail time. The goal for the scammer is to trick their victims into providing sensitive/banking information, transferring money, or buying prepaid debit cards. The caller could use a variety of tactics to sound more legitimate such as providing badge numbers, case numbers, and names of law enforcement officials or federal judges. The caller may even spoof their phone number to appear on caller ID to come from a government facility or court house.

The United States Marshals Service would never ask for credit card Purchase pre-paid debit cards numbers, wire transfers, or other financial information over the to pay penalties for failing to phone.

Varieties of this scam include:

-Purchase pre-paid debit cards to pay penalties for failing to appear in court
-Provide banking/financial information to pay fines or warrants
-Provide Social Security Number to confirm identity.
-Transfer money to a digital wallet to avoid court or arrest.

To report a suspected Internet-facilitated crime to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, follow the link to the Internet Crime Complaint Center – WWW.IC3.GOV