The U.S. Marshals Service for the Middle District of Alabama would like to warn the public of an ongoing jury duty phone scam.
According to the U.S. Marshals Service, the scammer poses as a U.S. Marshal Deputy Marshal or other law enforcement officials and tells victims that they have missed federal jury duty. They then tell the victim that they can avoid arrest by paying a fine immediately.
In an attempt to make the scam appear credible, officials say the scammer will provide titles and badge numbers of legitimate law enforcement officers or court officials, names of federal judges, and courtroom addresses.
Officials also say the scammers will instruct the victim to drive to either a Rite-Aid or CVS Pharmacy to purchase a Green-Dot card and to remain on the phone the entire time. Scammers are even spoofing their phone numbers to appear on a caller ID as if they are from the court or a government agency.
Within the last three weeks, the U.S. Marshals say they have received several calls inquiring about this scam and at least two people have fallen victim to this scam.
If you or a person you know receives a jury duty related call officials say you should not provide any personal identification or money to the caller. Instead, phone calls should be reported to the U.S. Marshals Service office or the local FBI office with any available caller ID information.