Skip to main content

Norfolk Sheriff’s Office raising awareness
to scam targeting citizens

Sheriff Joe Baron and the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office Consumer Protection Unit are warning citizens of a jury duty scam once again making its rounds in the Norfolk area. We have recently been contacted by several citizens who have received calls from someone portraying themselves as an employee of the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office, claiming the citizen missed jury duty and must pay a fine to avoid jail time. The caller says the citizen must pay approximately $2,500 per fine and tells the citizen they have multiple fines, stating they owe several thousand dollars in fines.

4222 BewareTo get the word out about this scam and other likes it, the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office recently purchased billboard space in high traffic areas around Norfolk. Additionally, Sheriff Joe Baron has put together a scam task force comprised of sheriff’s office employees who have been visiting area businesses dropping off scam alert posters. These posters have been distributed to over 100 businesses in Norfolk.

“While this scam has been going around for several years, we’ve recently heard from a number of citizens who have fallen victim to these tactics. We are committed to keeping citizens from falling for this scam and wanted to find a way to get the word out. Through our billboards and posters, we hope citizens will take note of the warning and if they receive one of these calls that they will simply hang up the phone,” stated Sheriff Joe Baron.

As a reminder, the Norfolk Sheriff's Office will NEVER call asking for money over the phone and correspondence regarding jury duty is always done through the mail. Additionally, we will NEVER call and tell someone there is a warrant for their arrest. 

It’s important to note, Virginia State Code § 8.01-356 states “If any juror who has been given due notice to appear in court shall fail to do so without sufficient excuse, he shall be fined not less than $50 nor more than $200.” Meaning, you will never be arrested for missing jury duty and never have to pay more than $200.

We ask that any resident who has fallen victim to this scam and sent money to the callers, please contact the Norfolk Police Department's Economic Crimes Division to file a report.

For additional information about common scams, please visit the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office Consumer Protection Unit website at https://norfolk-sheriff.com/fraudwatch.


If you've been subjected to a scam attempt like this, please contact
the Norfolk Sheriff's Office's Consumer Protection Unit to file a report.