Article by Gerarda Culipher, Deputy Clerk, Fairfax Circuit Court
(Posted 2022 September)
“Can you believe the gall?” a colleague remarked when we discovered jury duty scams used in Fairfax County. Scammers who attempt to criminally defraud unsuspecting citizens have gone so far as to claim to be law enforcement officers or court personnel, calling and demanding fines be paid for purported failure to appear for jury duty.
As the largest trial court in the Commonwealth of Virginia, we can report that no one from the Fairfax Circuit Court Clerk’s Office is going to call and demand payment over the phone for failure to appear for jury duty. While you must serve your jury duty if you receive your summons in the mail, if someone seeks money from you, have your fraud detection hat on.
The aim of this scam is to lure law-abiding and unsuspecting citizens – who deeply respect their civic duties like serving on a jury – into believing they forgot or missed a summons for jury service. Once the scammer convinces the person that they are in trouble, the target is told to purchase a prepaid money card from a local convenience store to pay the court costs over the phone.
Don’t believe this fraud or any variation of it. While there are some rare occasions when the Clerk’s Office will call you regarding your upcoming jury duty, it will only be for scheduling or rescheduling your service and it will not involve paying any fees. Under Virginia law, the court reimburses you $30 per day for every day that you come to the courthouse to serve on a jury.
Jury duty scams and other frauds that distort legitimate justice agencies, or that impersonate law enforcement officers, play to your natural civic mindedness. Don’t be fooled! If someone is calling and demanding payment over the phone from you, your fraud antennae should go up. If you receive such a scam call, contact your local, non-emergency police to report it, so that our law enforcement and justice partners can respond swiftly.
To read the full fraud alert, visit FairfaxCounty.gov and search “Jury Fraud Alert.”
This article is part of the Golden Gazette monthly newsletter which covers a variety of topics and community news concerning older adults and caregivers in Fairfax County. Are you new to the Golden Gazette? Don’t miss out on future newsletters! Subscribe to get the electronic or free printed version mailed to you. Have a suggestion for a topic? Share it in an email or call 703-324-GOLD (4653).