Authorities are warning local residents of a new version of phone scam in which con artists posing as Sheriff’s officials  call homes alleging that there’s a warrant out for the target’s arrest.

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department says too, to be careful about your caller ID, because cases in East County have involved criminals using call spoofing to make recipients believe their call is coming from an official government source.

According to the department, the basic scam involves a caller telling someone he or she is the target of a warrant because the person has failed to pay taxes or appear for jury duty – but there are variations.

Authorities warn such callers are very assertive and they claim to be employees of the Sheriff’s department. They seek personal information and threaten the potential victim with jail time of the loss of a driver’s license. Then they seek money via a credit card transaction.

They often offer up realistic details, including:

  • the name of a real Sheriff’s Department employee
  • the actual phone number of a Sheriff’s Station or Substation
  • your personal information such as a former address or date of birth.

Authorities say it’s illegal to impersonate a Sheriff’s deputy or to use call spoofing, which can be reported via the FCC’s website. They also say no deputy or employee of the Sheriff’s department will contact residents over the telephone to demand money or any form of payment.

They advise potential victims to hang up immediately upon suspecting they have received such a call. You also can check to see if there is actually a local warrant out in your name via the web.

To report the scam, call the Sheriff’s department at (858) 565-5200. The Sheriff’s financial crimes unit addresses such complaints.