U.S. Marshals in Maine Warn of Recent Phone Scams

Portland/Bangor, ME – The U.S. Marshals Service in Maine is alerting the public of a phone scam involving individuals claiming to be U.S. Marshals or other Federal Officials.

During these calls, scammers are “spoofing” actual U.S. Marshals office phone numbers attempting to fraudulently collect money or suffer legal consequences. The scammers claim potential victims need to “pay a fine or post bond” or face being arrested, losing their property, banking accounts or other consequences.

The scammers use many convincing tactics such as, citing publicly available information of prospective victims, which may include old residential addresses and phone numbers to appear credible. They may also provide fictitious information such as law enforcement badge and case numbers, names of actual law enforcement officials to further appear legitimate.

Scammers may also spoof their phone numbers to appear on caller IDs as if they are calling from a government agency such as the U.S. Marshals Service.

The U.S. Marshals Service urges the public to be vigilant if you receive any calls of this nature and contact the agency in question by calling them directly from verified official websites to authenticate the information. 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 Federal Trade Commission (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.
• 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