BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The Kern County Sheriff's Office is warning of a phone scam targeting local residents.

In the scam, someone claiming to be with the KCSO calls or leaves a voicemail message regarding a missed court date. They go on to say an arrest warrant has been issued and then request money be wired to an account to avoid the arrest. The individual even uses the names of actual KCSO employees.

The KCSO wants to warn residents that this is a scam.

"Anyone who receives a call from an unknown person requesting money should research the matter prior to providing any funds or personal information. You can do this by locating the organization’s telephone number online and contacting them directly. When you take a phone call you suspect to be a scam, you can ask the caller for their name, employee identification number, and callback number as well as a reference number for the matter they are calling about. This information can be used to contact the organization directly to determine the validity of the request."

If you receive one of these calls, the KCSO asks that you call them at (661) 861-3110.