Phone scammers claiming to be from Sheriff’s Office

The Fairfax County Sheriffs Office is warning residents about telephone scammers, identifying themselves as sheriff’s deputies, threatening people with arrest unless they pay the caller a large amount of money. The scammers usually demand payment via Green Dot MoneyPak or wire transfers through Western Union.

Some of the scammers are referencing the Internal Revenue Service and claiming people have a past due tax balance. Others are telling people they failed to appear for jury duty or have an outstanding arrest warrant.

According to a notice from the Sheriff’s Office, it is “in no way associated with any of these scams. Sheriff’s deputies will not call to ask you for money or threaten you with arrest.”

People who get a threatening phone call are advised to hang up immediately. Never give out personal information, such as Social Security number, bank account, credit card numbers, or passwords and do not confirm any personal or financial information the caller might appear to have.

To confirm a jury duty summons, contact the Circuit Court jury duty clerk at 703-246-7816 (press 0). For information about tax scams, visit the IRS consumer alerts page. To learn more about telephone scams in general, visit the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Information page.