Residents Reminded To Be Wary of Jury Duty Phone Scams

A jury duty scam that circulated in 2014 has returned, the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office says.

Several Fairfax County residents have recently reported phone calls from a man claiming to be named “Sergeant Davis.” Victims are told that they have an outstanding warrant and must provide credit card information or purchase a Green Dot money card from Walgreens or CVS to wire over to the scammer.

The perpetrator has attempted several angles in order to scam money off residents. People have been told that they have missed a jury duty court date, failed to pay a utility bill or owe the IRS for unpaid taxes.

SCAM ALERT! Caller claims to be “Sgt Davis” & says you failed to appear in court/jury duty. Hang up! Do not give out personal info or $.

— Fairfax Sheriff (@fairfaxsheriff) July 20, 2017

According to the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office:

Telephone scammers, FALSELY claiming to be Sheriff’s deputies, are seeking personal information and threatening you with arrest so that they can take your money. The scammers may request credit card information for court costs and provide you with a “new” court date. Or they will direct you to go to Walmart, CVS or Rite Aid and purchase a green dot money card. PLEASE HANG UP on these scammers! Do not give out personal information such as your Social Security number, bank account or credit card numbers, passwords or any other identifying information about yourself or your family members. Regularly monitor all of your monetary accounts and always use strong passwords.

Learn more about avoiding various scams, how to recover from identity theft and how to report if you have been the victim of a financial crime. Please share this information with your family, friends, neighbors and co-workers.

Anyone who thinks they have fallen victim to one of these scams should report it through the county’s Financial Crimes Information and Reporting System.

Similar scams have been reported in other jurisdictions, including Arlington.