Chesapeake Sheriff’s Office warns about fraudulent jury duty scheme

Chesapeake — Chesapeake officials are warning people about fake jury duty calls designed to scam people out of money.

The sheriff’s office said in a news release Friday officials received reports about scammers luring people to pay hundreds of dollars at “isolated locations.”

How does the scam work?

The scammer identifies themselves as a law enforcement officer, claiming the person has a warrant out for their arrest because they missed a jury duty summons. To avoid arrest, the person must transfer money onto Green Dot cards and bring them to a specific address.

If the victim enters the address into a search engine the location will show up as the Chesapeake Sheriff’s Office. However, the office said that address is not associated with its agency and will take the person to “a building in a remote location” instead.

“Law enforcement agencies do not call residents to notify them of an outstanding warrant. Nor do they negotiate payment instead of arrest,” the release said. People should also never pay a fine or bond at a secondary location.

Officials urged anyone who receives a fraudulent call to hang up and notify the Chesapeake Sheriff’s Office at 757-382-6159.

Sierra Jenkins, 229-462-8896, sierra.jenkins@virginiamedia.com