Beware of nationwide phone scam

Federal officials are warning the public not to believe phone scammers who claim to be U.S. marshals.

Several individuals posing as marshals, court officers or other members of law enforcement have recently been scamming people over the phone, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice.

In a common scenario, the caller tries to extract a fine from the call recipient, telling them to pay or face arrest for failing to report for jury duty. In another, call recipients are told they have won the Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes and are directed to pay a fee to claim the prize, officials said.

The department wants to reiterate to the public that marshals will never seek payment of fines over the phone or ask for credit or gift card numbers or wire transfers. 

Read more at The Virginian Pilot