BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — The Kern County Sheriff’s Office has issued an advisory alerting community members about recent reports of kidnapping and extortion threats.

According to officials, they've received reports throughout the county of "subjects" attempting to extort money from residents.

"On several occasions over the past week, citizens have been contacted either via telephone or through social media that a loved one (child, parent, sibling) had been kidnapped," KCSO detailed in a release. "The subjects then demanded a ransom for the return of the family member. These incidents have been investigated and are unfounded. The phone numbers/accounts used by the suspect(s) are disconnected upon call back and appear to originate from out of the state or out of the country."

The Sheriff’s Office said it is advising anyone who receives this type of message or telephone call to contact law enforcement immediately to report the incident.