Police Warn Santa Clarita Valley Residents Of Scam Calls

SANTA CLARITA VALLEY (CBSLA.com) — Over the past 24 hours, residents in Santa Clarita Valley have been getting phone calls from scam artists posing as deputies in order to collect "fines," officials warned Thursday night.

The caller will tell the person on the other end that there's a warrant out for their arrest for failing to appear for jury duty.

The con artist then tells the victim they have to pay a fine or risk having deputies come arrest them.

The caller will provide the person with several ways to pay up, including money order, wire transfer or a Green Dot gift card.

The thief will often provide a number to call to pay the fine and these calls will go to a voice recording.

Deputies at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station say they have nothing to do with these calls and advise residents it's a scam.

Officials urge residents to never give callers personal or financial information and to most certainly not send them money.

Residents who have sent money or believe they've been targeted are urged to call deputies at (661) 255-1121. Suspicious calls can also be reported to the Department of Consumer Affairs at (800) 593-8222.  A complaint can be filed online at dca.lacounty.gov.