Jury Duty Phone Scammers Posing As Law Enforcement In Arlington

ARLINGTON, VA — Arlington County police are warning residents about a jury duty scam currently circulating in Arlington, where the scammers leave voicemail messages claiming to be a lieutenant in the sheriff’s office.

Several residents have reported receiving these voicemail messages from a person posing law enforcement and wanting to discuss an urgent legal matter, police said.

“In these types of scams, callers will pose as local law enforcement and contact victims accusing them of failing to appear for jury duty and stating a warrant for their arrest will be issued unless a fine is paid,” police said Tuesday. “Payment is often requested in the form of gift cards, and the scammer will ask the victim to provide the gift card numbers over the phone.”

Arlington County police said its officers and the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office will never call to solicit funds or collect fines over the phone. Juror summonses are sent through the mail and communication through other ways should be considered suspicious, police said.

Residents who receive these types of calls should immediately hang up and verify the claim by calling the police department. The public should never call a phone number provided to them from the caller to verify their credibility, according to police.

To verify information regarding law enforcement in Arlington County, the public can contact the Emergency Communications Center at 703-558-2222.