LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Lynchburg Sheriff’s Office is reminding residents to be safe and vigilant when it comes to phone call scams like this one.
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On Friday, authorities made an announcement explaining an active phone scam in the area.
Authorities say the person calling is claiming he is Captain Mark Lacy with the Lynchburg Sheriff’s Office and says the person has missed jury duty and has an active citation against them.
Then, we’re told the caller says the only way to resolve the citation is for the person to go to the Lynchburg Sheriff’s Office to be taken into custody or, if they want, to just pay a fee or fine at what they call a local government kiosk. The person is then asked to go purchase gift cards, usually in hundreds of thousands of dollars, to avoid being taken into custody.
After buying the gift cards, authorities said the person is asked to read the numbers aloud, which gives the caller the ability to take the money off the cards.
The call is coming from a local telephone number to make it seem real, the Sheriff’s Office said. They’ve been told these types of calls usually come from overseas.
The Lynchburg Sheriff’s Office is reiterating the fact that they will never ask a person to pay money to settle any type of charge. They also said they’d never call to tell you about an active warrant, or “citation” as the caller states.
If the Sheriff’s Office calls about jury duty, they will confirm your name and address, and then either mail out a jury summons or have a deputy give it to you at your house.
If you’re unsure about a call, you can always call the Lynchburg Sheriff’s Office at (434) 847-1301 to see if the call was real or a scam.