Scam Type
Family/Friend Emergency Scam
Date Reported
Oct 25, 2022
Victim Postal Code
24153
Total Dollars Lost
0
Scam Description
I must first say that the timing of this scam was absolutely crazy because my daughter was traveling today. Otherwise, I would have known immediately that it was a scam. The first call was a muffled voice calling me mom and telling me they had been in a car accident, and I needed to speak to the officer. A man then told me my daughter had rear-ended another car, was injured but OK. However, the car she hit carried a woman who was 6-months pregnant. He then said my daughter had been charged with reckless driving and was taken to the Fairfax County Courthouse. He provided the address of 4110 Chain Bridge Rd, Fairfax, VA, as well as the case number of 0186785. He also said a public defender would be giving me call. After the call, I learned that my daughter was safe. An hour of so later, I received another call from a man identifying himself as Fairfax Public Defender and Attorney David Bell. He wanted to know if my daughter had called, and said her bail had been set at $6980. I played along and asked how to pay. He wanted cash. I told him I would need to consult our attorney and would call him back. I called back, and he answered “public defender’s office.” In addition to reporting this scan with the BBB, I have also contacted the Fairfax County Public Defenders’ Office (confirmed that no such person exists there), as well as the Fairfax County Police department’s Major Crimes Bureau.
