Provided by Prince William County Police
Recently, there has been a scam in Prince William County where scammers are impersonating the PWC Sheriff’s Department. Victims will receive a call stating to contact the Sheriff’s Department regarding a “legal matter.” They have the victim’s identifying information and ask them to confirm. Once confirmed, the scammers state that a PWC Judge has issued an “arrest warrant” against them. To avoid being arrested, they have the victim set up a meeting with Clerk of the Court to pay the bond money, with the promise that it will be returned after the processing.
The scammer then tells the victim to go to a local convenience store to purchase Jpay Cards or Green Money Pak Cards. The scammer keeps the victim on the phone and will ask for the card number to complete the bond payment.
The Police and Sheriff’s Department will NEVER attempt a warrant service over the phone or ask for money. This scam also appears to be targeting the elderly.
How to protect yourself:
- Stay calm.
- Do not give out your information.
- Hang up the phone.
- Call the police.
- Never pay anyone who calls out of the blue.
- Do not rely on your caller ID to verify who is calling.
