NORFOLK, VA— The Norfolk Sheriff’s Office is warning residents about a new jury duty scam.

On Tuesday, January 8th two local residents received phone calls from someone impersonating a deputy. In one instance, the caller told a citizen they must pay an $800 fine for failure to show up to jury duty.

The caller warned the citizen that if they did not pay, they would be arrested. The caller requested the victim to pay via gift cards and demanded the victim stay on the phone as she purchased the cards.

This is a scam.

The Norfolk Sheriff’s Office will NEVER call a citizen for failure to report to jury duty. NSO deputies will NEVER ask for money over the phone. Jury duty notices are handled via mail or in a hand delivered summons.

If you receive a call similar to this, please contact the Norfolk Sheriff's Office's Consumer Protection Unit to file a report.

File a Fraud Report

A local scam is now targeting members of the military. On July 5, 2018, the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office received a call from a Navy sailor that fell victim to the scam. She reported that the thief called her at work, and the caller ID read “Norfolk Sheriff’s Department.”

Attorney General Mark R. Herring and Norfolk Sheriff Joe Baron are warning Hampton Roads residents about an active scam in the area in which scammers purporting to sell DirecTV subscriptions are conning people, including area seniors, into sending prepaid cash cards purchased from convenience or drug stores, such as GreenDot or MoneyPak cards.