The Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department wants to alert the community about a potential scam reported to the agency in the last couple of days.

Chief Investigator Marc Ogden said citizens reported they received calls from individuals claiming to be with law enforcement agencies and they either missed jury duty, or have unpaid traffic tickets. The calls also include false claims that there is currently a warrant for their arrest.

The scammer then goes on to tell the resident that they have to make a payment over the phone in order to settle the issue and instructs them to buy a prepaid debit card from a store such as Dollar General and provide the card’s information over the phone.

“I want to stress that if you receive a call of this nature, it is a scam,” Ogden said. “Law enforcement agencies will never ask you to make a payment over the phone and we also do not accept cards as a type of payment.”

If a person receives a call of this nature, Ogden recommends residents avoid giving out personal information and immediately hang up. If a resident questions the legitimacy of the call, they should visit the Sheriff’s Department office personally.

“If a person has sent money to these callers, unfortunately there is nothing we can do about it,” Ogden said.

Any Pearl River County resident with questions about unpaid traffic tickets, missed jury duty or would like more information on this scam, should contact the Sheriff’s Department at (601) 795-2241.