In the latest scam, a person identifying himself as Sgt. Jack Walker asks the resident to confirm his address. Please don't do that! Then the caller claims he needs to speak to the resident's son on a very urgent matter. Please do not reveal any information about your children -- their names or their whereabouts -- to a person unknown to you. These are scams that could cause you or your family members financial harm. Please continue reading about other recent scams.
A recent scam is especially worrisome. In another scam, the callers identified themselves to be Lt. McQueen and Lt. Zimmer (neither is a real deputy's name) and claimed the person they called was subpoenaed and subsequently failed to appear in court. The Sheriff's Office will never call you for a punitive reason. We are issued civil documents, such as subpoenas, by the courts, which we serve at the address listed on the document. We do not make calls. In this scam, the caller ID showed a number that goes to a Sheriff's Office landline, and that number is listed on our website. HOWEVER, calls from any of our landlines always show the same number – the last four digits are 2000. Please don't be fooled by this scam!
In another reported scam, a person identifying himself as Sgt. Quinn is calling and asking for details about a family member. We do not have a deputy named Quinn, but often scammers identify themselves with a real name they find on our website. Other scammers, identifying themselves as either Sgt. Stevens or Mr. Quinn, claim you missed jury duty and want you to pay a fine via Venmo or PayPal. HANG UP! Do not call back if they leave a message. Never give a caller unknown to you financial or other personal information no matter how convincing they sound.
To confirm a jury duty summons, contact the Circuit Court jury duty clerk at 703-246-7816 and press 0.
Telephone scammers, FALSELY claiming to be Sheriff’s deputies are seeking personal information and threatening you with arrest so that they can take your money. The Sheriff's Office will never call you and make threats, claiming that a warrant is outstanding for your failure to appear in court or that you missed jury duty, failed to pay a utility bill or owe the IRS for unpaid taxes. The same is true for the courts and the police.
In another scam targeting Fairfax residents, the fraudulent caller claims he is a Sheriff's deputy and needs you to "come down to the station" to see a subpoena about a court date, supposedly with your signature on it.
Other fraudulent callers have said that you have to pay a fine to correct a mix-up on personal information. They want Google gift cards, or they direct you to go to Walmart, CVS or Rite Aid and purchase a green dot money card. Later they might ask for a picture of your debit card and driver's license. They might ask you to meet them at the Courthouse on Chain Bridge Road or our administrative office on Main Street.
In all of these cases, HANG UP! It's a scam! Even if the caller leaves you a message, DO NOT CALL BACK. Do not meet them anywhere. Do not give them the whereabouts of anyone you know. The scammers might seem knowledgeable about the Sheriff's Office because they have read about us on the website. They leave fake messages and create fake recordings for your return call. Please do not fall for these scammers! They want to scare you so they can take your money.
Do not give out personal information such as your Social Security number, bank account or credit card numbers, passwords or any other identifying information about yourself or your family members. Regularly monitor all of your financial statements, and always use strong passwords.
Learn more about avoiding various scams, how to recover from identity theft and how to report if you have been the victim of a financial crime. Please share this information with your family, friends, neighbors and co-workers.
- If you are the victim of a scam in Fairfax County, report it to through the Police Department’s Financial Crimes Information and Reporting System.
- To verify if you or someone else may have an outstanding warrant, call the Police Department’s warrant desk at 703-246-4231 [TTY 711].
- To confirm a jury duty summons, contact the Circuit Court jury duty clerk at 703-246-7816 and press 0. [TTY 711].
- For information about tax scams, visit the IRS consumer alerts page.
- To learn more about identity theft reporting and recovery, review the Federal Trade Commission’s help guide.
- To learn more about consumer issues, visit Fairfax County’s consumer education page.
In another scam, a man claiming to be Deputy Myles is calling community members saying he is collecting fines related to charges against them. Other scammers posing as deputies are claiming that you missed jury duty and need pay the caller using Venmo to avoid being arrested. To confirm a jury duty summons, please contact the Circuit Court jury duty clerk at 703-246-7816 and press 0.
Do not give out any financial or other personal information on the phone. Do not provide the names of your loved ones.