Loudoun County, VA (May 19, 2022)- Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman and Clerk of the Circuit Court, Gary M. Clemens, are once again reminding residents to be aware of jury duty scams. This week several residents reported receiving a telephone call from a person claiming to be a deputy with the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office and stating they have an arrest warrant for failure to appear for jury duty. These individuals, who are not law enforcement nor court employees, claim these potential fraud victims can pay fines to avoid arrest.
“The jury duty scam works on the victims' emotions. These thieves use the appearance of authority and prey on a person’s fears in hopes that the victim will be more willing to provide the money,” said Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman.
According to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office and the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court, under no circumstance would a law enforcement official in Virginia be permitted to collect fines of this nature. Any failure to report for jury duty will result in an official written notice from the Circuit Court that provides detailed instructions on what actions those who neglect to report for jury duty must take.
“Jury service is an important civic duty,” said Gary M. Clemens, Loudoun Clerk of the Circuit Court. “We do not want potential jurors to be intimidated or discouraged to serve as jurors by individuals who use these deceitful tactics to extort money from unsuspecting citizens.”
If you are a resident of Loudoun County and believe you were a victim of this scam or a similar scam, please contact the Loudoun County Sheriff’s at 703-777-1021 or file a report online at http://sheriff.loudoun.gov/reportonline.