March 12 (UPI) -- Federal authorities have warned the American public about a so-called warrant scam targeting victims who are told to pay a non-existent fine. The warning comes after scammers stole more than $10,000 from a Wyoming resident.
"A federal officer will serve a federal warrant in person, or you might receive it by certified mail," officials in the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation noted Wednesday in a release.
Recently, an unidentified victim in Wyoming was targeted when they followed instructions in a text message with what appeared to be a legitimate copy of a supposed court document, fixed with a judge's signature, from the U.S. District Court for Wyoming saying there was a pending arrest warrant due to a failure to show as a prospective juror.
Meanwhile, FBI officials emphasized that the general public will "never" receive a copy of a federal warrant via regular U.S. mail, and especially not in the form of an email or text message.
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"Also know that no government agency at any level will ask you to pay in gift cards, gold or cryptocurrency," according to the FBI.
However, would-be scammers will often "spoof" real telephone numbers on caller ID -- like for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, for example -- and will then then demand money, personal banking information or Social Security numbers under the guise of investigating criminal activity.
The bureau says to "be vigilant," and advised American citizens to "never share personal identifying information with a caller with whom you have not initiated contact or have not verified as legitimate."
Also: 'Smishing' scam alert
On Tuesday, the FBI also issued a public alert of a "smishing" scam, ongoing since March of last year, which so far has received more than 2,000 complaints of texts claiming to be a road toll collection service from at least three states.
The FBI suggested that possible victims cross-check a number given in a text message by looking it up online or by calling the FBI office directly to verify any legitimate contact, which is a method that can be utilized for virtually any other federal agency.
If a person thinks they have been victim to this scam, report it at 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov.
