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Jury duty scammers target Newport News residents

Posted at 4:42 PM, Jan 05, 2017
and last updated 2017-01-05 16:42:14-05

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Newport News Sheriff’s Office says a common scam is hitting residents in that area.

The scammers call people and say they are a member of the Sheriff’s office. They then tell the person they have missed jury duty and face arrest unless they pay a fine.

The fines that the scammers make up is usually pretty hefty.

The Sheriff’s Office reminds residents that they will never call you to threaten arrest or to demand money for missing jury duty.

They also say that all communication about jury duty is done through the mail.

If a caller demands even a small amount avoid just paying it, the Sheriff’s Office says.

If you get a call like this hang up and report it to the authorities in your area and never give out any personal information.