KNOXVILLE _  The U.S. Marshals Service is alerting the citizens of East Tennessee of a nationwide scam in which callers pose as U.S. marshals or other court officials threatening imminent arrest for not appearing for jury duty or alleging that there is an arrest warrant for the individual being called.

“U.S. Marshals or other federal court employees will never contact someone and demand payment or personal information by phone or email,” stated David G. Jolley, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Tennessee.

In the calls and emails, recipients are pressured to provide confidential data, potentially leading to identity theft and fraud. These calls and emails, which threaten recipients with fines and jail time if they do not comply, are fraudulent and are not connected with the U.S. courts.

“While these callers may sound legitimate, we urge people to question the validity of their claims and to never meet with them or provide financial data or information,” stated Marshal Jolley.

If you believe you may be a victim of the jury duty scam, identity theft, or other scheme, you can report the incident to the FTC (https://www.ftc.gov/) or file a complaint online with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at www.ic3.gov.

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