Crime & Safety

Warrant Scam Targets Fairfax Residents

Callers claim to be deputies looking for hefty fines due to missed jury duty.

One of the latest phone scams is targeting Fairfax City residents by demanding hefty fines from the the victim for purportedly missing jury duty.

In three instances reported by Fairfax City Police on Monday, callers claimed to be deputies with the Fairfax Sheriff's Office. They claimed in the calls that the resident had missed jury duty and needed to pay with a money card or face jail time.

In a notice earlier this month, Fairfax County Sheriff's Office stressed deputies will not call you asking for money, nor threatening you with arrest.

If you receive a threatening phone call related to jury duty, the Sheriff's Office suggests that you hang up immediately. 

In each instance, the victim checked with actual law enforcement following the calls and determined they were fraudulent calls, but these and similar scams have been successful in other cases.

The FBI offers tips for avoiding telemarketing fraud.

Earlier this year, a Fairfax business owner was contacted by a person claiming to be from the power company, demanding a payment by money cards the victims can obtain at grocery stores. It wasn't until after the victim complied and received a second demand for cash that she learned she had been scammed.

Another phone scam has threatened the immigration status of legal immigrants unless they provide a money card payment.


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