U.S. Marshals Office warns of scam callers asking for fines

Miami Valley residents receiving scam phone calls from individuals claiming to be U.S. marshals, court officers, or other law enforcement are encouraged to contact the U.S. Marshals Service Office and the Federal Trade Commission.

According to a release from the U.S. Marshals Service Office, scammers attempt to coerce people into paying a fine in lieu of arrest for failing to report for jury duty or other offenses.

"The U.S. Marshals would never ask for a credit/debit or gift card number or banking routing numbers or ask for funds to be wired for any purpose," said United States Marshal Pete Tobin.

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"If the caller is urging you to provide this type of information or any other personal or financial information, hang up and report the call to the Marshals and the FTC. You can even report to both agencies anonymously,” Tobin said.

Tobin said scammers will try to appear legitimate by providing badge numbers or using the names of actual law enforcement officials. He urges the public to question the validity of any caller requesting payment.

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"The easiest way to do this is to call the clerk of the court's office of the U.S. District Court in your area and verify the court order. If an order does not exist, someone just tried to swindle you out of your hard-earned cash."

If you believe you were a victim of such a scam, you are encouraged to report the incident to the U.S. Marshals office and to the FTC at https://www.ftc.gov/

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