The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents of a potential scam.

The sheriff’s office received multiple calls last week from citizens reporting they received phone calls with the caller ID showing either “Restricted Caller” or “Clallam County Sheriff’s Office” and the caller states they missed jury duty or have a warrant and need to pay a fine or bond.

The scammer, county officials said, has been using various law enforcement names and has convinced several people to send thousands of dollars to them.

Scammers can “spoof” phone numbers so it appears they are calling from the sheriff’s office, when in fact they may be in another country, law enforcement officials noted in a May 1 press release.

“The scammers are getting more sophisticated and use bully tactics to scare citizens into giving them money, they said.

The best way to avoid becoming a victim, according to the sheriff’s office, is to hang up immediately when receiving an unsolicited phone call.

Those with questions about whether a call was legitimate are encouraged to call the sheriff’s office at 360-417-2262. To file a report if you’ve been the victim of a scam, call 360-417-2459 (Option 1).

The Federal Trade Commission also has a webpage on how to avoid scams and what to do if you have been a victim of a scam at consumer.ftc.gov/scams.