Scam callers pose a members of law enforcement
JACKSON, Tenn. — A new type of scam calls are in our area.
Tuesday, two law enforcement agencies warned the community about scammers pretending to be part of their agency.
Victims of the scams have reported an individual or individuals calling them, saying that they are with the US Marshals or the FBI.
“They will make themselves sound believable by giving a badge number or giving an office number, or even start naming off law enforcement officers that that person who they’re calling may know just to make themselves more credible,” said US Marshal Tyreece Miller.
The caller will go on to say that there is a warrant out for your arrest because you missed jury duty or some other infraction, and they add that you need to pay a fine.
“And what they’ll do is they’ll say to avoid you being arrested, you need to go purchase a prepaid debit card or Green Dot card, and they’ll tell you to read the numbers on the back of the card and all they’re doing is they’re stealing money from you,” Miller said.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Office has experienced reports of the same issue with the scammer, saying they are with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office.
“Basically calls and social media and PSAs to let everybody know in the community that these are scams. We are not doing this. This is not something that’s originating with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office,” said Jeff Wall, with the sheriff’s office.
The Marshals and sheriff’s office want people to know that they will never reach out to people over the phone asking to pay a fine or legal fee.
“The Madison County Sheriff’s Office and the courts will never call you and ask you for money over the phone,” Wall said.
“But I can tell you unequivocally that the US Marshal Service will never call you and tell you that you owe money. That’s just not what we do,” Miller said.
If you think you are a victim of a scam like this, save the caller’s number and report the crime to your local law enforcement agency.
You can also report the incident to the local FBI office and to the Federal Trade Commission.
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