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Norfolk Sheriff’s Office warns of jury duty scam

Posted at 11:57 AM, Mar 06, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-06 11:57:51-05

NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk Sheriff’s Office is warning of a jury duty scam targeting Norfolk residents.

On Wednesday, at least three people received phone calls from someone claiming to be a Major with the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office.

In one instance, the caller told a citizen they must pay a $3,000 fine for failure to appear for federal jury duty, and warned the citizen that if they did not pay, they would be arrested.

The caller told the victim to pay via gift cards, and demanded the victim stay on the phone as the cards were purchased.

According to the NSO, the caller provided real NSO phone numbers and used the name of a real NSO major.

The Norfolk Sheriff’s Office reminds residents that it will never call a citizen for failure to report to jury duty, and that deputies will never ask for money over the phone. Jury duty notices are handled via mail or in a hand-delivered summons by NSO deputies.

If you receive a call similar to this, call the Norfolk Police Department’s Economic Crimes Unit at (757) 664-7018.