Jury duty scam demands payment to avoid arrest

LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. - Authorities in Virginia are warning residents about a new jury duty scam that demands a payment be made in order to avoid being arrested.

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office says the scammers typically call by telephone and claim to be a law enforcement officer notifying the resident of a failure to appear for jury duty.

The then demand a payment be made to avoid an arrest.

Deputies say court employees will never call residents to advise them of a failure to report for jury duty notice. They say anyone who fails to report for scheduled jury duty will receive an official written notice from the Circuit Court with detailed instructions on what actions should be taken.

"Scammers try to scare citizens into paying them money for reasons that are fabricated," said Clerk of the Circuit Court Gary Clemens. "My office is determined to inform the public about scams like this and protect the integrity of the jury system in Loudoun County," he added.

"The best recourse for a citizen who gets a call like this is to write down their caller ID number and notify the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) as soon as possible," said Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman.