Jury Duty Scam Making Rounds In Stafford: Police

STAFFORD, VA — A form of the infamous jury duty scam has recently been making the rounds in the area over the past week or so, according to the Stafford County Sheriff's Office. Authorities say the caller identifies himself as a police officer and tells the victims they're wanted for missing jury duty, and immediate payment of some sort must be made to rectify the situation.

Specifically, the scammer calls potential victims and pretends to be someone from the Sheriff's County Office, using names such as "Sgt. Jones" or "Sgt. Smith." Then, the caller provides a tracking number for a non-existent warrant. Next, the victim is told to contact a "bondsman," who pretends to run the tracking numbers of the warrant and tells the victims how much their fine is.

In most cases, the victims are told they owe two charges of $250 each. They're instructed to get MoneyPak cards and give the PIN to the bondsman. Also, in some cases, the scammer leaves an automated message with a phone number that supposedly is that of the Stafford County courthouse. When the scammer calls the victim back, the number that appears is the Stafford County Sheriff's Office non-emergency number.

Anyone who has received these or other suspicious calls is urged to call Stafford police at 540-658-4400. The FBI has tips to avoid the jury duty scam:

"The scam's bold simplicity may be what makes it so effective. Facing the unexpected threat of arrest, victims are caught off guard and may be quick to part with some information to defuse the situation.

"They get you scared first," says a special agent in the Minneapolis field office who has heard the complaints. "They get people saying, 'Oh my gosh! I'm not a criminal. What's going on?' That's when the scammer dangles a solution-a fine, payable by credit card, that will clear up the problem.

"With enough information, scammers can assume your identity and empty your bank accounts."

Bottom line: If you get such a call, hang up and call police.

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