HANOVER, Va. – The Hanover County Sheriff’s Office warned the public of another phone scam, in which the caller said he is with their office.
A male caller identifies himself to citizens as “Sergeant Jackson” with the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office.
He tells the citizen that they have missed jury duty and will be required to pay a fine in the amount of over $1,000. The individual is then advising the potential victim to go to a drug store, purchase a “MoneyPak” card, put the suggested amount on the card and then call him back.
“Please know that this is a SCAM,” said Sergeant James R. Cooper, in a distributed release. “These criminals will prey on unsuspecting citizens and even spoof county telephone numbers to attempt to legitimize their call.”
If you ever have any question as to the identity of a caller representing themselves as an employee of the Sheriff’s Office or any other reputable organization, please contact the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office immediately.
The Sheriff’s Office will never contact citizens demanding they pay a fine of any sort, even if they have missed jury duty.
If you are a victim of a recent scam related to this particular event, please contact the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office at (804) 365-6140.
Earlier in the year, the HCSO warned the public about a “sophisticated phone scam” that targets taxpayers, including recent immigrants.
“Callers claim to be IRS employees, using fake names and bogus identification badge numbers. They may know a lot about their targets, and they usually alter the caller ID to make it look like the IRS is calling,” Sgt. Cooper said. “Victims are told they owe money to the IRS and it must be paid promptly through a gift card or wire transfer. Victims may be threatened with arrest, deportation or suspension of a business or driver’s license. In many cases, the caller becomes hostile and insulting. Victims may be told they have a refund due to try to trick them into sharing private information. If the phone isn’t answered the scammers often leave an ‘urgent’ callback request.”
“Remember if you have caller ID and you don’t know the number displayed, do not answer the phone. Let the call go to your voicemail/answering machine and you will decrease your chances of becoming a victim,” Cooper said
You can also report IRS scam calls to the Federal Trade Commission.
