The federal agency reports the scammers are using spoofed numbers and artificial intelligence to sound legitimate.
SAN ANTONIO — The U.S. Marshals Service is warning the public about a rise in phone scams in which callers impersonate federal officers and demand money. The federal agency reports the scammers are using spoofed numbers and artificial intelligence to sound legitimate.
Jose Nuñez, a spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals in San Antonio, said the agency has seen an uptick in fraudulent calls targeting anyone willing to answer.
“A lot of people are receiving phone calls,” Nuñez said, adding that scammers “are going after anyone that is willing to entertain the phone call.”
According to the U.S. Marshals, scammers are masking their real numbers to make it appear as if they’re calling from federal courthouses or official agency lines. Once a call connects, the scammers typically claim the person must make an immediate payment or face arrest.
“They will just start calling and let you know, ‘Hey, you need to make a payment, or we are going to go out and arrest you,'” Nuñez said.
He emphasized that no legitimate law enforcement agency notifies the public of arrest warrants over the phone.
Nuñez said scammers are increasingly using AI-generated voices to impersonate real deputy U.S. marshals.
“They can use these AI tools and say, ‘Hey, Deputy Nuñez with the U.S. Marshals Office is calling,’ and they will use my voice,” he said. “They say, ‘You have a warrant, we are out to arrest you.'”
The scammers often provide what sound like official details to appear credible, Nuñez added, including badge numbers, case numbers and court information.
“They have all the facts in front of them just to make it seem like it is a real scheme,” he said.
Nuñez urged people not to answer unknown numbers and never to share personal information over the phone.
“If you get any type of call, by all means don’t answer it,” he said. “If you answer it, don’t give out any personal information.”
Scammers are seeking money in any form they can get, he said, including cryptocurrency and gift cards.
Anyone who falls victim to the scam should file a report with law enforcement, such as the FBI.