U.S. Marshal: Inmates using contraband cellphones to coordinate phone scams

Officials from the U.S. Marshals' South Carolina office are saying a current phone scam targeting the state is being coordinated by inmates using contraband cellphones.

The U.S. Marshals in the District of South Carolina are alerting the public of a scam where callers spoof the district office's real number to trick people into sending money. Scammers attempt to collect a fine in lieu of arrest for failing to report for jury duty or other offenses.

They tell victims they can avoid being arrested by purchasing a prepaid debit card, such as a Green Dot card or gift card, and read the card number over the phone to satisfy the fine, according to a news release from the state district's office.

Scammers have many tactics that sound credible. They sometimes provide information such as badge numbers, names of actual law enforcement officials and federal judges and courthouse addresses.

U.S. Marshal Griffin said in the news release that scammers of this nature are often managed and coordinated by current inmates who are housed in the state prison system. Offenders rely heavily on contraband cellphones to continue to operate criminal enterprises from behind bars.

Anyone who receives a call from what may appear to be the U.S. Marshals Office should report the call to his or her local FBI office at https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us and file a consumer complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, which has the ability to detect patterns of fraud from the information collected and share the data with law enforcement.

Things to remember

- 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 FBI office and to the FTC;

- You can remain anonymous when you report; and

- If a scammer provides a court order, 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.