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US Marshals Service warns public of nationwide phone scam

Scammers may provide specific information to try to appear credible.
Man hands holding credit card and using phone.

The U.S. Marshals Service is warning the public across the country of telephone scans of people claiming to be marshals, court officers and other law enforcement officials.

Scammers may provide information like badge numbers, names of law enforcement officials, names of federal judges and courthouse addresses to try to appear credible.

In one scam, the caller attempts to collect a fine in lieu of arrest for failing to report for jury duty. The U.S. Marshals Service does not call anyone to arrange payment of fines over the phone for failure to appear for jury duty or any other infraction.

In another scam, call recipients are told they have won the Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes and are directed to pay a fee to claim the prize.

The U.S. Marshals Service gave the following tips:

· U.S. Marshals will never seek payment of fines via the telephone for individuals who missed jury duty or have outstanding arrest warrants.

· U.S. Marshals will never ask for credit/debit card/gift card numbers, wire transfers, or bank routing numbers for any purpose.

· Don't divulge personal or financial information to unknown callers.

· Encourage victims to report any incidents to the U.S. Marshals Service.

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