Authorities warn call from Fresno County Sheriff's Office could be a scam

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Fresno County Sheriff's officials are warning people of an ongoing phone scam, where the caller falsely identifies himself as a person with the department.

Officials say the man identifies himself as a ranking deputy and claims he is with the warrants and citation unit, which does not exist.

Authorities say the man claims the person he is talking to is in some sort of legal trouble and avoid being arrested you must pay a certain amount of money.

The Sheriff's Office says it has received reports where the suspect asks people to meet him at a certain location or asks the victim to purchase gift cards. Some of the popular gift cards requested are Vanilla Visa and Green Dot MoneyPak.

According to the Sheriff's Office, it never makes solicitations for money or asks for payment of fines over the phone.

If you receive a similar call, do not give in to the caller's demands. Document any information, such as the caller's name or phone number and report it to the law enforcement agency overseeing your jurisdiction. The Fresno County Sheriff's Office accommodates online reporting for this type of matter. Please visit www.fresnosheriff.org and click on "Report a Crime" located at the top of the page.

You may also make a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission by visiting the Federal Trade Commission's complaint assistant.