KERN COUNTY, Calif. — If someone calls you from the Kern County Sheriff's Office claiming they have a warrant for your arrest: hang up. It's a scam.

According to the KCSO, a resident received a phone call from someone claiming to be with the Sheriff's Office and that they had a warrant for that person's arrest for failuter to appear. The victim was then instructed on how to make payment using gift cards.

"The would-be victim went so far as to go to the store and purchase gift cards. The suspect stayed on the phone the whole time, and knew the exact mileage it would take to arrive at the store," explained the KCSO. "The victim said as he was leaving the store, the suspect told him to give him the 13-digit card number, and it was that point the victim realized it was a scam and hung up the phone."

To make the scam appear real, the suspect used a number with a local area code and a fake directory using names of the KCSO staff.

The KCSO wants to remind residents that "warrant payments are processed through the Kern County Superior Court" and that "Kern County Sheriff’s Office will never ask for warrant payment over the phone."

If you think you've been the victim of a scam, you can call the Sheriff’s Office Communication Center at 661-861-3110.