Fraudsters demand money to resolve alleged warrants, target Amelia residents

AMELIA COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- The Amelia County Sheriff's Office is warning residents of scam calls demanding money to resolve warrants or jury duty.

Officials are reporting that they received information on Wednesday, Aug. 13, about a scammer calling Amelia residents and demanding money to resolve an outstanding warrant after it was recently reported to authorities.

However, deputies alerted residents to the following examples of the scam, which include:

• Payment is demanded via phone call.
• The caller threatens immediate arrest or legal consequences if payment isn't made.
• Payment is requested through unconventional methods like gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, or mobile apps.
• You're instructed to remain on the phone while completing the payment or transaction.
• They attempt to "spoof" their phone number to appear as if they are calling from the Sheriff's Office or another government agency,

Anyone who receives a call like this is advised to hang up immediately and not provide any personal or financial information. 

You should report the incident to your local law enforcement agency or the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and verify the authenticity of a warrant by directly contacting the clerk of the court or your local sheriff's office using a verified number, according to the Amelia County Sheriff's Office.

Authorities said official warrants are served in person by a uniformed officer with official documentation and warrants are typically resolved in court. This would not be done over the phone with payment demands, according to the sheriff's office.