U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Clerk of Court’s Office, U.S. Marshals, FBI Urge Public to Report Phone Scams
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Clerk of Court’s Office, U.S. Marshals, FBI Urge Public to Report Phone Scams (Chicago, IL) — The Clerk of Court’s Office for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations are alerting the public of several imposter scams targeting residents of the Northern District of Illinois. The scammers make telephone calls in which they claim to be officers of the court or federal law enforcement officials; they claim to be attempting to collect a fine in lieu of arrest for failing to report for jury duty or other offenses.
Residents of the Northern District of Illinois receiving these scam calls should report the calls to the FBI Chicago Field Office and file a consumer fraud complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, which has the ability to detect patterns of fraud from the information collected and share that data with law enforcement.
Scammers use many tactics to sound credible. For example, many may spoof their phone numbers to appear on caller ID as if they are calling from the court or a government agency. They sometimes provide information like badge numbers; names of actual law enforcement officials, federal judges or court officials; and courthouse addresses.
If you believe you were a victim of such a scam, you are encouraged to report the incident to the FBI’S Chicago Field Office and to the FTC.
Things to remember:
-
- The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois will never contact anyone by phone about a fine or warrant.
- The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois will never seek credit/debit card/gift card numbers, wire transfers, or bank routing numbers over the phone.
- Do not divulge personal or financial information to unknown callers.
- Report scam phone calls to the Federal Bureau of Investigations by filing a complaint at this website. Additionally, individuals can contact FBI Chicago Field Office at (312) 421-6700.
- Individuals with questions regarding scam and safety can visit this website for helpful tips.
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Clerk of Court’s Office, U.S. Marshals, FBI Urge Public to Report Phone Scams
Responses