CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Nelson County residents are receiving phone calls from people pretending to be sheriff’s deputies in an attempt to scam them out of money, the department announced Monday.

According to the department’s release, the callers identify themselves as Nelson County Sheriff’s Deputies and demand payments over fines from missed court appearances. The callers threaten the victims with arrest if the fines aren’t immediately paid.

“This is a scam,” the sheriff’s office posted on Facebook. “The Nelson County Sheriff’s Office, nor any other Law Enforcement Agency, will NEVER demand money from the public to prevent the execution of a Legal Document. If anyone receives a phone call of this nature, please hang up and contact the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office.”

April is the AARP’s Fraud Prevention Month and the organization said scams targeting older Americans range from fake text messages to emails to phone calls.

AARP, citing the Federal Trade Commission, said Americans lost about $196 billion to fraud in 2024, with an estimated $81.5 billion of that coming from older adults. It estimated fraud cost Virginians about $297 million that year.

“Fraud affects every generation, and AARP Fraud Watch Network is helping people fight back—one community at a time,” an AARP release said. “By learning together and sharing information, we can better protect one another.”

The group is holding events in Richmond, Roanoke, Virginia Beach, Prince William County, Loudoun County and Fairfax, as well as hosting virtual events including an April 30 webinar on crypto scams and an April 15 tele-town hall on fraud prevention, with details about all those events available at the AARP website.