Jury Duty Scam Targets Vienna Residents

VIENNA, VA—Vienna residents have reason to be extra vigilant as scam calls are going around. Authorities are seeing an uptick in scammers calling Fairfax County residents and requesting fine payments for missed jury duty.

Authorities say the callers identity as Fairfax County sheriff's deputies. The scammers claim a resident missed jury duty and would have an arrest warrant. They will request payment so the victim can avoid arrest, which will often be in the form of store gift cards, prepaid debit cards or money orders.

Perhaps the most alarming element of the scam is that the calls can appear as if they're coming from the sheriff's office. They do this by using unregistered phone numbers and caller ID with masking technology.

The scam is not just going around in Fairfax County. The Alexandria Sheriff's Office reported residents with city addresses on record being duped by the jury duty scam. A woman that now lives in Fairfax County told Patch she gave a scammer calling himself "Lt. Vance Barry" $2,000 in prepaid cards.

According to the National Center for State Courts, court authorities will not ask for personal or payment information for failure to report for jury duty. Residents can confirm if a jury duty summons is official by calling the Circuit Court jury duty clerk at 703-246-7816 (press 0).

Victims of scams can report these incidents with the Financial Crimes Section online or by calling Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131.

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