Officials: Callers posing as US Marshals office, demanding fee in lieu of arrest

VIRGINIA (DC News Now) — U.S. Marshals in Virginia are warning residents about a scheme that aims to trick victims into sending money to unknown callers posing as the district office.

The U.S. Marshals Service for the Eastern District of Virginia said in a news release Wednesday that these “con artists” are spoofing calls to try to get money from residents.

The U.S. Marshals said that this tactic, called neighbor spoofing, uses technology to modify the number appearing on your caller ID.

Officials said that the callers will try to collect a fine to avoid arrest for an offense such as missing jury duty. The callers will ask the victims to read the number of a store gift card or prepaid debit card over the phone for the fine. They will also request cryptocurrency payments.

“Scammers use many tactics to sound credible. They sometimes provide information like badge numbers, names of actual law enforcement officials and federal judges. These calls are becoming more prevalent in our area, and we want to educate the public on these types of scams,” U.S. Marshal Shannon Saylor of the Eastern District of Virginia said in a news release.

If you have fallen victim to one of these callers, the U.S. Marshals said to report that to your local FBI office and the Federal Trade Commission.