Don’t fall for a new scam: It involves jury duty.
Loudoun County, Virginia, authorities are reminding residents to be aware of jury duty scams. People report receiving phone calls in which a caller claiming to be a local sheriff’s deputy says an arrest warrant has been issued against them because they never appeared for jury duty.
The scammer then tells the would-be target they could avoid arrest by paying a fine.
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office and the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court say their officials are not permitted to collect fines of this nature.
In reality, failure to report for jury duty would lead to an official written notice from the circuit court with instruction on what to do, not a phone call soliciting payment.
“The jury duty scam works on the victims’ emotions. These thieves use the appearance of authority and prey on a person’s fears in hopes that the victim will be more willing to provide the money,” Sheriff Mike Chapman said in a news release.
Any Loudoun County residents who were a victim of this scam are asked to contact the sheriff’s office at 703-777-1021 or file a report online.
