If you get a call from anyone threatening you with an arrest, you may be the target of a scammer.
The U.S. Marshals and FBI say they are hearing about this scam on a daily basis and there have been a large number of these calls in Massachusetts.
You may get a call from someone claiming to be a U.S. Marshal, court officer or other law enforcement official.
During the call, the scammer will attempt to collect a fine under the threat of arrest due to a claim of identity theft, failing to report for jury duty or other offenses. They’ll say you can avoid arrest by withdrawing cash and transferring it to the government by depositing it into Bitcoin ATMs.
Get Boston local news, weather forecasts, lifestyle and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Boston’s newsletters.
Scammers are very convincing. They’ll provide you with a badge number, names of law enforcement officials and judges and courthouse addresses. They will spoof the phone number so it appears on caller ID as if it is coming from a government agency or the court.
But remember, the U.S. Marshals Service will never ask for credit/debit card/gift card numbers, wire transfers, bank routing numbers or ask you to make bitcoin deposits for any purpose.
And, you should never divulge personal or financial information to unknown callers.
The U.S. Marshals Service press release alerting the public to this scam detailed how it may play out:
“One of the most recent scams works like this: Someone impersonating a Customs and Border Protection officer calls the potential victim stating CBP has acquired packages containing illegal substances sent from Mexico and Colombia that are addressed to the victim. Additionally, the victim is told some of the packages are addressed to two locations in El Paso, Texas, which are also deeded to the victim. The scammer then proceeds to tell the victim that multiple bank accounts in the victim’s name with Bank of America, Chase, TD Ameritrade, and Wells Fargo indicate the victim is wiring money to Mexico and Colombia.
The scammer then 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 his personal ID# A40922, case number #DMC701029 for the investigation, and warrant number #024069798, and then notifies the victim that the State of Texas is investigating this illegal activity. They are then told the State of Texas is holding the victim responsible unless the victim can prove the criminal activity associated with them is the result of identity theft. The call then ends with the scammer advising the victim that they will be recontacted by an investigating official.
A short time later, the victim is contacted by another individual identifying himself as a United States Marshal who is looking into the case. U.S. Marshal for the District of Massachusetts Brian Kyes name has been used repeatedly by the scammers. The scammer reviews the previous conversation the victim had with the scammer posing as a CBP official, and tells the victim there are two ways to resolve the issue: 1) hire a criminal lawyer to represent the victim in front of a court in Texas. Through the court process, the victim will either be exonerated or convicted. If convicted, the victim will face approximately a year in jail and pay a $10,000 fine. Option 2) Complete an Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) where the victim could verify which funds in their bank accounts are actually theirs. The victim is instructed to stay on the phone so the conversation can be recorded and used as proof of the victim’s compliance. The victim is then instructed to withdraw “80% of their physical assets” and deposit them into a personal digital wallet (Bitcoin) while saving withdrawal receipts and deposit receipts to be reviewed by the investigating official once a meeting can be established. The victim is then told their money will be held for 24 hours while the victim is issued a new Social Security Number, if their identity was, in fact, stolen. The victim is then told their money will be transferred back to them once the process is completed and the victim will be cleared of any criminal wrongdoing. The number appearing in the caller ID displays as the office number of the US Marshals Service, and maybe a specific judicial district. The victim is instructed to confirm the authenticity of the caller by visiting the USMS website.”
If anyone is asking you to send your money anywhere, you should assume it’s a scam. Take your time verifying the information by calling these agencies directly with phone numbers you locate yourself on their verified websites.
If you believe you were the victim of this scam, you are encouraged to report it to the Boston FBI here : https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/boston and to the FTC here: https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/#/
