U.S. Marshals alert Nevadans of phone scams using government phone numbers demanding cash
RENO — The U.S. Marshals are alerting the public of several imposter scams involving individuals claiming to be U.S. marshals, court officers, or other law enforcement officials.
They are urging people to report the calls their Local FBI office and file a consumer complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, which has the ability to detect patterns of fraud from the information collected and share that data with law enforcement.
Washoe County residents are seeing a large number of the scam calls.
During these calls, scammers attempt to collect a fine in lieu of arrest due to a claim of identity theft, failing to report for jury duty, or other civil process issues. They then tell victims they can avoid arrest by making a payment first. Often that means withdrawing cash and transferring it to the government by depositing cash into bitcoin ATMs. They also tell victims they can transfer money via cash apps such as Zelle or Venmo.
Scammers use many tactics to sound and appear credible. They sometimes provide information like badge numbers, names of actual law enforcement officials and federal judges, and courthouse addresses. They also spoof government phone numbers to appear on caller IDs as if they are calling from a government agency or the court.
The scammer provides identity confirming information to the victim by reading old residential addresses, phone numbers, and other personally identifying information that seem to make their claims legitimate. The scammer then provides a fake personal ID number, case number for the investigation, and warrant number. The call then ends with the scammer advising the victim that they will be recontacted by an investigating official.
To make the scam seem more realistic, the numbers appearing in the caller ID display as the office number of the U.S. Marshals Service, and maybe a specific judicial district. The victim is also instructed to confirm the authenticity of the caller by visiting the USMS website.
The final step in the scam is that the scammer instructs the victim to send a photo of their driver’s license to a phone number provided by the scammer. The victim is then instructed to send the QR code scanned at the Bitcoin deposit kiosks.
There have been many victims reporting losses in the thousands to tens of thousands of dollars. The U.S. Marshals Service receives inquiries regularly from victims and potential victims of this scam.
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.
Things to remember:
• The U.S. Marshals Service WILL NEVER ask for credit/debit card/gift card numbers, wire transfers, or bank routing numbers, or to make bitcoin deposits 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.
• Authenticate the call by calling the clerk of the court's office of the U.S. District Court in your area and verify the court order given by the caller.