Scammers Posing As Federal Court Officials Target RI Residents

RHODE ISLAND — Officials with the U.S. District Court of Rhode Island and the U.S. Attorney's Office urged residents to watch out for scammers posing as law enforcement.

Federal officials said the scammers have called Rhode Island residents attempting to get personal information, such as Social Security numbers. Scammers are also trying to steal money by telling victims they have federal court fines for failure to respond to a subpeona.

"In the course of these phone calls, the caller may claim that an order has been issued by a federal judge, in some cases using the names of an actual Rhode Island federal judge specifically," a U.S. Department of Justice spokesperson said. "The calls are scam and recipients should not provide personal or financial information to the callers. Rhode Islanders are urged not respond to these callers in any way."

Federal officials said U.S. District Court orders are sent by U.S. Mail, and are not communicated to the recipient over the phone. The court will also not call you to collect personal information., officials said.

Those who believe they have received a scam call should call the U.S. District Court of Rhode Island at 401-752-7200.

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