U.S. Marshals Service Warns Of Phone Scam From Official Numbers

CONCORD, NH — The U.S. Marshals Service in New Hampshire is warning the public that scammers are using the real phone number of the district's office attempting to trick people out of money. The phone scam – the latest in a number of incidents of late – is attempting to collect a fine in lieu of arrest for failing to report for jury duty or other offenses. The scammers tell the victims they can avoid arrest by purchasing a pre-paid debit card like a Green Dot card or gift card, reading the number on the phone to the scammer, and then, the fine will be taken care of.

"These calls may sound legitimate, but I assure you they are not," stated U.S. Marshal Nick Willard. "We encourage people to hang up the phone and report the call to the U.S. Marshals and the Federal Trade Commission. Our ultimate goal is to stop these scam calls and to hold these criminals accountable by bringing them to justice."

Scammers, officials noted, use many tactics to sound credible including providing information like badge numbers, the names of actual law enforcement officials and federal judges, and courthouse addresses.

Officials warn that they will never ask for credit cards, wire transfers, banking routing numbers, or other items, and they will not divulge personal or financial information to unknown persons.

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.

Got a news tip? Send it to Tony Schinella at tony.schinella@patch.com. View more videos at https://www.youtube.com/user/tonyschinella.