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Alexandria police warn of scammers wanting money to remove criminal charges

By James Cullum
Scam alert from the Alexandria Police Department (via Facebook)

The Alexandria Police Department (APD) is warning residents against an all-too-familiar scam — callers pretending to be law enforcement calling to collect bills.

APD said in a release that they do not make such calls and “will never request money over the phone.”

One scam was recently reported on Nextdoor.

“FYI, two people called me today pretending to be from the Alexandria sheriff’s department claiming they were going to arrest me because I ‘missed a jury summons’ at the federal courthouse, and saying I needed to go down to the courthouse in Carlyle to pay a fine today,” according to the Nextdoor post. “When I hung up on them, they called back from *the actual sheriff’s office phone number* and threatened to send deputies to my house for failing to cooperate. The number was phantom—used duplicating software to pretend they were calling from there for real.”

APD says to immediately hang up if you get this kind of call, and to not answer any questions or provide them with information.

Victims of the scam are asked to call the APD non-emergency number at 703-746-4444.

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.