Imperial, California - The Imperial County Sheriff’s Office has been receiving a high volume of calls in reference to a subject or subjects pretending to be from the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office warrant division. The person or persons have said they were from the Sheriff’s Office as well as other agencies in the Imperial County.

This person or persons have called local residents explaining to them that they have a warrant for their arrest. Callers are being told they did not show up for required jury duty and they have to pay a fine to clear up a warrant that has been issued, or they are just being told that they have a warrant for their arrest and they need to pay the fee or fine to avoid being placed under arrest.

They are then asked for personal information such as date of birth or Social Security Number to take care of the warrant. Some callers have been asked for credit card numbers or PayPal transactions to clear the warrant as other callers reported they were asked to get cashier’s checks or pre-paid money cards from convenience stores.

These calls are fraudulent and have no connection to the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office or the Imperial County Superior Court. Anyone who receives a phone call from someone demanding payment for an outstanding warrant should report the situation immediately as a crime.

The Sheriff’s Office and the Imperial County Superior Court will never call you and ask for personal information. Never give personal information such as your address, phone numbers, e-mail address, driver’s license number, Social Security Number (SSN), birth date, birth place, school’s name, or student ID number to callers.

For more identity theft resources and safety tips, check out the Identity Theft Resource Center at http://www.idtheftcenter.org/