NEW ORLEANS ( WGNO ) — Officials with the U.S. Marshals Service Eastern District of Louisiana are warning residents about a phone scam that involves impersonating law enforcement and government officials.
According to the U.S. Marshals Service, the scam involves a technique called “spoofing” that allows someone to modify a phone number to make it appear as if it is a local number on a person’s caller ID.
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U.S. Marshals Service officials said these spoofed numbers can be made to appear as if someone is getting a call from a government agency or law enforcement office.
They said callers will then use the spoofed phone numbers to tell victims they can avoid being arrested by paying a fine by sending money, buying a prepaid debit card or gift card and sharing information over the phone.
U.S. Marshals officials said anyone who receives a suspicious phone call should report it their local FBI Office and the Federal Trade Commission.