In April of this year, the Administrative Office of the United States Courts issued warnings about two new arrest warrant scams potentially involving the federal district courts.  In the first scam, a fictitious arrest warrant on criminal charges is mailed to an individual, offering a chance to avoid arrest through the payment of a specific amount. The individual is asked to provide confidential data and a credit card number to clear the charges.
The second scam involved a phone call stating that a warrant has been issued and the individual will be arrested if a fine is not paid. Further complicating the matter is that the calls appear to be legitimate court numbers, but are, in fact, bogus, as technology is being used to spoof the Caller ID system.
The Administrative Office of the Courts has now issued warnings regarding a similar scam in which a warrant is sent by fax or email saying a federal law enforcement officer or an attorney for the government wants to arrest you. Charges may be for money laundering or bank fraud, or missed jury duty. To avoid arrest, the warrant says, send money.
It’s a scam.
The warrants may display a bogus logo of an unspecified “United States District Court,” a case number, and various charges. Typically, recipients are instructed to call a number to get a “settlement” or to wire money to avoid arrest.
The warrant is phony. A valid warrant would not be served by fax or e-mail. It would be served in person by a U.S. Marshal or other law enforcement officer.
Anyone receiving a fake arrest warrant should contact the FBI at (502) 263-6000 or the U.S. Marshals Services at (502) 588-8000. If there is any question regarding the authenticity of a warrant, contact the District Court at (502) 625-3500.