STATE — The U.S. Marshals Service in Maine is warning the public today of a telephone scam involving fraudulent callers contacting members of the public and alleging they, or their family members, have an active federal arrest warrant and demanding payment of fines.

Recently, there were reported attempts of fraudulent callers who identified themselves as an affiliate to the United States Marshal. The caller states that subjects are “in big trouble” and informs the potential victims that warrants were being sought or issued for them and/or their family members due to being absent from a federal grand jury, overdue taxes, or other personal debts.

The potential victims are then informed they could avoid arrest by paying a fine by electronic fund transfer, money orders, cash cards or cashier’s check. The Marshals Service became aware of the scam after receiving multiple calls seeking information from alerted citizens.
The U.S. Marshals Service is a federal law enforcement agency with the Department of Justice and does not seek payment of fines or fees via the telephone for individuals with outstanding arrest warrants.

The U.S. Marshals Service urges individuals not to divulge personal or financial information to unknown callers and highly recommends the public report similar crimes to their local police departments. If you believe you are a victim of fraud, report the incident through the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov. Also, you should report online, business, or phone scams to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) immediately at www.reportfraud.ftc.gov.

Additional information about the U.S. Marshals Service can be found at http://www.usmarshals.gov.