Jury Duty Scam Hits Leesburg, Ashburn: Police

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — At least twice in the past week, area residents have received bogus calls from someone claiming to be an officer with the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, and that they had an outstanding warrant for missing jury duty. The calls were a scam, and both invoked the last name of the actual LCSO sheriff, Michael L. Chapman.

In one incident, last Wednesday in the 43800 block of Lees Mill Square in Leesburg, the caller identified himself as "Sgt. Chapman" with the LCSO. He said there was a warrant for the resident's arrest, and he could turn himself in, wait for someone to come take him into custody, or pay a fine immediately. The resident was told to get GreenDot cards, after which the information was provided. Only later did the resident realize it was a scam.

In another incident, on Tuesday, a resident on East Frederick Drive in Sterling, pretty much received the same call. This time, the caller identified himself as "Lt. Chapman" with the LCSO. The resident realized the call was a scam.

The AARP has tips about such scam calls:

"Hang up without providing any information about yourself — and certainly don't run off to purchase a Green Dot MoneyPak or iTunes gift card. Here's why:

• Authentic jury duty notifications, as well as "no show" summonses, are nearly always delivered by mail. In rare instances prospective jurors may be telephoned by legitimate courthouse employees, but only after a jury duty summons was mailed but returned to sender because it couldn't be delivered — and you won't be asked for personal information such as your Social Security number, birth date or driver's license number.
• Legitimate police officials never give a head's-up phone call warning of an impending arrest, about missing jury duty or any other infraction.
• These fake phone calls often come in the evening, after the courthouse has closed and its employees have left. Gleaning targets' names and addresses from phone directories or other public records, scammers often call after usual working hours because they know they have a better chance of reaching their intended victims.
• Caller ID can be manipulated to display the name and phone number of any agency or business, so don't be fooled. If you have concerns, look up the courthouse phone number (don't rely on caller-provided numbers) and verify missed jury allegations with the jury duty coordinator or court clerk's office."

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