New local scam: Sheriff's Office tells you to buy Visa gift cards at Food Lion to avoid jail time

Amherst County Sheriff's Office received several complaints Friday

AMHERST COUNTY, Va. – Local authorities are reminding residents that they will never call citizens and ask them to purchase Visa gift cards to pay fines or to keep from going to jail.

Such demands are part of a new scam in Amherst County.

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The Sheriff's Office received several complaints on Friday from people saying they had received a suspicious call from a local number that alleged to be coming from the Amherst County Sheriff's Office.

In the calls, a scammer told people that they had an active federal warrant for missing jury duty, the people said.

According to authorities, the scammer may be identifying himself or herself as Capt. Davis, from the Sheriff's Office, or may mention other names, real or fake, from the department.

The scammer told people to go to Food Lion and purchase multiple Visa debit cards for certain amounts, authorities said. The scammer also instructed the person to stay on the phone in order to be tracked.

Next, the scammer asked for the Visa card numbers and told the person that they would not have to go to jail for 72 hours, authorities said.

The Sheriff's Office reminds citizens not to respond or engage with callers who ask for money or gift cards to prevent fines, jail sentences or warrants.


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