The Waco Police Department spread an alert Tuesday from the U.S. Marshals Service, warning of multiple nationwide imposter scams perpetrated by individuals pretending to be marshals, court officers and other members of law enforcement.
The scammers threaten to arrest victims who don't pay fines and urge them to buy prepaid debit cards to avoid jail.
In addition to spoofing their phone numbers, the scammers sometimes provide badge numbers or names of actual law enforcement officers and judges in order to build trust with their victims.
Central Texans are being urged to report any calls to the Waco Office of the U.S. Marshals Service, which can be reached at 254-750-1570. They should also report the calls the Southwest Region of the Federal Trade Commission at 877-382-4357. FTC complaints may be made online by clicking here.
The FTC works to detect fraud patterns and share that data with law enforcement. The U.S. Marshals hope the FTC's investigation will lead to arrests.
Things to remember (Via U.S. Marshals Service):
- 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.
- Report scam phone calls to your local U.S. Marshals Service 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.
