News

Alexandria Sheriff warns of scammers, then woman gets scammed of $1K

By James Cullum
An iPhone (file photo)

An Alexandria woman got scammed by a caller pretending to be a representative of the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office (ASO), less than a week after ASO warned the public against scammers on social media.

The victim was called on her land line at around 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 15, and the male caller allegedly claimed to be a sergeant with the ASO, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.

The caller asked the victim if she was aware that she missed jury duty the week before, and said that she should have received a notice in the mail on Dec. 26.

“The male subject responded to (the victim) that a signed acknowledgement of receipt was received by the Sheriff’s Office,” according to the search warrant affidavit. “The male suspect detailed that due to her failing to show, two citations were issued against her.”

The scammer allegedly told the victim to go to the ASO office and pay a fine of $1,750. The victim was then transferred to another suspect who allegedly said he was an ASO lieutenant, and that she needed to pay the fine by cash, check or e-check at the Alexandria Courthouse.

The victim told police that she sent two Zelle payments totaling $1,000 before she realized she was being scammed, according to the search warrant affidavit. The scammer allegedly tried to call her two more times, but the victim did not pick up and instead called the police.

ASO and the police put out warning regarding scammers multiple times per year, and says that their representatives will never ask for money over the phone. Previous phone scams include attempts to remove criminal charges from victims and requests to make charitable donations to the police department.

A police investigation determined that the suspect registered a new phone with TextNow Inc. on Feb. 13, two days before the alleged incident occurred.

No arrests have been made and the Alexandria Police Department is investigating the incident.

About the Author

  • Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His work includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He's covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.