A police department in Southwest Ohio is warning its citizens via Facebook about getting involved in "Nerf Wars" as participants have been seen wearing masks and hiding in public places. 

While Nerf guns are considered relatively safe toys that fire foam bullets, some have put themselves in danger by misusing the toys, the Middletown, Ohio Police Department said. 

In a post by the Middletown Police, the department has reported a number of instances where police are called to respond to suspicious individuals, who are just playing with Nerf guns. 

"The problem is, even though most of them playing the game are good people who are just having fun, the average citizen or business owner is leery of people who lurk in their yards, driveways, parking lots or streets. We have had people we have encountered complain it's just a game, so what is the big deal?" The department posted on its Facebook page.

"Well, we have encountered Nerf War participants wearing masks and hiding in parking lots, bushes, etc..to ambush their targets. While it may be fun, we have to make sure that participants understand this kind of suspicious activity "freaks people out" - simply put."

Another problem the department noted is that children have painted the orange stripes of the Nerf guns to make the weapons look more realistic.