Beware of this scam

By BETHANY BLITZ

Hagadone News Network

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Boise sent out a press release Tuesday warning Idaho residents of recurring scam calls claiming to be a deputy U.S. marshal and requesting people pay a fine to avoid a federal arrest warrant. Calls have been reported in the Boise, Pocatello and Twin Falls areas.

The press release said deputy U.S. marshals do not notify people of arrest warrants by a phone call. A valid arrest warrant would be served in person by a deputy U.S. marshal or other law enforcement officer. The U.S. Attorney's Office cautioned people who receive these phone calls to not give out any information and to notify the U.S. Marshals Service immediately.

“I urge everyone who receives this type of phone call to be very skeptical, or better yet, simply hang up the phone,” said Brian T. Underwood, United States marshal for the district of Idaho. “This is not a typical way that the U.S. Marshals resolve warrant-related matters.”

The way it works, is Idaho residents receive a call from someone claiming to be a deputy U.S. marshal. People then return the call and, as the press release described, receive an automated message saying:

“You have reached the U.S. Marshals Service serving the northern district of Idaho. If this is an emergency, hang up and dial 911. If you have information regarding the whereabouts of an absconded fugitive please remain on the line for the next available deputy. For all other inquiries please listen closely because our menu options have recently changed. For warrants division, press 1; for civil processing division, press 2; for gang enforcement, press 3; for the officer in charge, press 4; for clerk of courts, press 5.”

Once connected to a person, individuals are given the choice to avoid a federal arrest warrant by paying a fine to settle out of court. The individual may be instructed to purchase a prepaid Visa or MasterCard, and to provide the number on the back of the card to the caller.

These types of scams have a tendency to reach state-wide. A few Coeur d’Alene Press readers reported they got scams calls, but from people claiming to be the IRS.

Tom Menlow of Harrison received a call about two weeks ago. He said it was a recording that told him to call a phone number to be able to pay off “what he owed them.”

He didn’t believe it for one second. He knew the IRS doesn’t contact people via telephone, but by mail or in person.

“It seems like they’re targeting the elderly,” Menlow said. “I’m 81, my wife is 78, and I think some people feel the need to take care of this immediately so there won’t be any repercussions or whatever, so I think some people are vulnerable to that. It only takes the 1 percent to make a lot of money for these scammers.”

Richard Kellogg of Rathdrum, who is 69, also received scam calls a few weeks ago saying the same thing. He said he got two or three phone calls that were recorded messages that seemed to be from the IRS saying it was his “last chance.” He was given a phone number to call otherwise, the message said there was going to be a lawsuit.

Kellogg works for nonprofit organizations, monitoring their donation webpages. He said he often receives emails from the IRS regarding updates and tax advantage giving opportunities. When the scammers called him, he knew it wasn’t really the IRS.

“When you know it’s a scam, you feel kind of abused, but at the same time, the scam itself is not going to harm you,” he said. “But what you then think about are those who may not be aware and may end up following through and getting hurt.”

The Post Falls Police Department posted on its facebook page Tuesday afternoon that it has received many notifications of scam calls from the “IRS.”

“Now it has come to our attention that these scammers are spoofing our public phone number to our department, (208) 773-3517, so this number displays on the citizen's caller ID when the scammers call,” the post read.

The Post Falls Police Department suggests people hang up and call the number back, to see if the police department was trying to contact them.

The United States Attorney wants to get the word out that these scam calls are happening and that a valid arrest warrant would be served in person. The U.S. Attorney also insists people do not give out any of their personal information to scam callers and to notify the U.S. Marshals Service immediately.

The press release concluded that “it is a crime for an individual to falsely represent himself or herself as a federal official or deputy United States marshal. Accordingly, this scam and any similar fraudulent conduct will be investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service, in partnership with the FBI.”