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Arlington authorities warn of ‘currently circulating’ phone scam

An iPhone (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

It’s an older phone scam, but it’s still active and is currently targeting Arlington residents.

The police department and the Sheriff’s Office are “warning the community about a common and reoccurring nationwide telephone scam currently circulating in Arlington.”

The jury duty scam tries to convince the person answering the call that they’re in trouble with the law.

“Several community members have reported receiving voicemail messages from an individual claiming to be a Lieutenant with the Sheriff’s Office wanting to discuss an urgent legal matter,” ACPD said Tuesday morning.

More from a press release:

In these types of scams, callers will pose as local law enforcement and contact victims accusing them of failing to appear for jury duty and stating a warrant for their arrest will be issued unless a fine is paid. Payment is often requested in the form of gift cards and the scammer will ask the victim to provide the gift card numbers over the phone.

As a reminder, the Arlington County Police Department and the Sheriff’s Office will never call to solicit funds or collect fines over the phone. Additionally, juror summonses are sent through the mail and communication through other mediums should be considered suspicious.

Be aware that scammers may spoof, a process of deliberately falsifying the information transmitted to your caller ID display, phone numbers of law enforcement or government agencies in an effort to disguise their identity and appear legitimate. If you receive a call of this nature, immediately hang up with the caller and verify the claim by calling the law enforcement agency directly. Never use a phone number provided to you from the caller to verify their credibility. To verify information regarding law enforcement in Arlington County, contact the Emergency Communications Center at 703-558-2222.

For additional financial crimes information, visit our website. If you were the target or victim of a scam in Arlington County, please file an online police report.

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