HENRY COUNTY, Va. – Sheriff Lane Perry with the Henry County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents of an ongoing phone scam.
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According to Sheriff Perry, the scammers call posing as deputies, and threaten to arrest the person if they do not pay them a fine.
We’re told the scammers may claim the person is going to be arrested for failing to appear for jury duty or not serving on a grand jury. Authorities said the scammer then claims the person can avoid said arrest if they pay a fine.
The Sheriff said that after that, the scammers walk the person through paying the supposed fine by a prepaid debit card, a gift card, or an electronic payment.
Here are a few things to keep in mind with this particular scam, according to the Henry County Sheriff’s Office:
- Scammers may call with convincing information, like the name and location of the courthouse, phone numbers, case numbers, and badge numbers,
- Scammers may use your maiden name, work address, home address, and/or birthday,
- Scammers may spoof the phone number from the sheriff’s office,
- These scammers tend to be persuasive.
As a reminder, the Sheriff said to always be hesitant to provide personally identifying information over the phone or by text message.
In addition, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office personally serves grand jury summons, so if you’re scheduled for a grand jury or jury duty, you’ll receive paperwork at your house, Sheriff Perry said. He went on to say that if there is a warrant out for your arrest, deputies will show up at your house, and that deputies do not contact citizens for payment or personal information by phone or email.
And if you’re ever hesitant about a call or a letter, Sheriff Perry said to call your local law enforcement agency before acting on its instructions.
Anyone who has been victimized by a scam or has information on suspected scammers is asked to contact the Henry County Sheriff’s Office at 276-638-8751 or Crimestoppers at 63-CRIME (632-7463). The Crimestoppers Program offers rewards up to $2500.00 for crime-related information. The nature of the crime and the substance of the information determine the amount of reward paid.