Officials urge residents to beware of new scam posing as federal authorities

The U.S. Attorney's Office and FBI are warning about the emergence of a new scam where perpetrators are posing as federal courts and law enforcement to scare victims.

Cape Girardeau Police Department Sgt. Joey Hann said Cape Girardeau police are aware of the scam, but there have been no official reports of the scam in the area thus far. The Cape Girardeau police will continue to monitor for its appearance locally.

Special Agent in Charge Richard Quinn of the FBI St. Louis Division said this is one way "scammers are using more sophisticated techniques to appear legitimate," in an Oct. 6 news release from the FBI St. Louis Division

This an example of a letter being used in a scam where perpetrators are posing as federal courts and law enforcement to scare victims.Submitted

In one of the latest examples, the perpetrators emailed a letter claiming to be from a federal court about a federal criminal investigation, according to the release.

The letter offered the victim a choice between facing indictment or accepting an agreement as a cooperating witness, which requires $7,000 in legal fees.

Perpetrators also contacted the victim by phone utilizing a technique called "spoofing," in which scammers easily hide their identities by displaying legitimate phone numbers on caller ID, as stated in the release. Scammers will sometimes do anything, including threaten or create a sense of urgency, to keep the victim from ending the call.

"Scammers are always looking for ways to take your money or personal information," U.S. Attorney Sayler Fleming for the Eastern District of Missouri stated. "Anytime you are asked to pay money or give your personal information, be skeptical. Verifying the request can prevent the majority of scams."

When in doubt of "spoofing," the FBI St. Louis Division recommends calling the organization in question to verify by looking-up the organization's phone number instead of the number given.

Anyone who becomes a victim of a phone or online scam where they wired money to the perpetrator should immediately contact their bank to recall the transfer, then file an online complaint with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov/.

For more information and updates, visit the FBI St. Louis Division's website at www.fbi.gov/.