RICHMOND, Va. -- With each passing day, Richmond Sheriff Antoinette Irving says her department hears from more people concerned about a jury duty scam calls making the rounds.
Criminals try to make it seem like an official call from the sheriff’s office about a citation for not showing up for jury duty resulting in a $1,500 fine, but that’s hardly the case.
“They are giving us docket numbers, stating that they got those from the individuals that called. So, we want to make sure people know that we would never call you,” said Irving. “They're trying to take money from individuals and caring people. Somehow, they even know personal information. The one young lady who called us yesterday said they knew where she worked, and they knew her phone number.”
It’s not surprising to community activist evangelist Marquita Boyd. She heard about the jury duty scam and immediately began to worry about senior citizens in the community.
“We need to check on our seniors, we need to check on our mothers, our fathers, and grandmothers to make sure that they don't fall victim to this scam,” said Boyd.
The sheriff wants people to know what they can really expect if they miss jury duty and it doesn’t involve a bogus call, a hefty fine, or meeting with a stranger outside of the city jail to pay the fee, like the scammers want you to believe.
“If you happen to miss jury duty just give us a call and let us know. We can work with the courts to get you back on the list and you can come back and you can serve your time on a jury,” explained Irving.
If you get one of those scam calls, Irving says hang up immediately and report it to the jury office at 646-6501.
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