Don’t be a Victim of Phone Scams

Have you received a phone call from the “Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office” saying that you have a warrant out for your arrest? Recently, scammers are calling citizens and claiming that they have failed to appear for a court case and a warrant is outstanding. These scammers, falsely claiming to be deputies, are requesting credit card information for court costs and providing a “new” court date to the victim.

If you receive a call like this, please call the Fairfax County Police Department Warrant Desk at 703-246-4231 to verify if you or someone else may have a warrant.

If you are, or think you might be, the victim of a phone scam, or other scams, please file a report online with the Financial Crimes Section at http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police/financialcrimes/ or call 703-691-2131. You can file other reports online as well via http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police/reportcrime/.

Financial Crimes Detectives also want you to be aware of common phone scams:

EXAMPLE: IRS/Legal Action Scams: Callers claim they are from the IRS, a government agency or a law firm and you owe money. If you do not pay immediately, they threaten the police will show up at your door and arrest you.

EXAMPLE: Family Member Critical Emergency Scams: Callers generally claim they are your teenaged/young adult-aged family member (grandson/daughter, nephew/niece). They tell you they’ve been arrested, are in jail and need money, either for bond or court fees. They will ask you to wire money to a non-existent attorney or bondsman, or possibly to a friend who will pay the alleged fines so they can be released.**The scammer could know your name, your family member’s name, nicknames commonly used between you and other accurate details about you and your family (i.e. actual college they attend, state in which the real family is located, etc.)**

Detectives want to remind you to NEVER wire money or preload debit or other cards to include iTunes. To read more about PHONE SCAMS and how to PROTECT yourself click here!