BATON ROUGE - The sheriff's office warned East Baton Rouge Parish residents to be aware of a phone scam involving people who claim to be deputies calling about outstanding warrants.

Sheriff Sid Gautreaux said they were told of two times recently when someone called and tried to scam a victim into sending them money to avoid a phony fee or jail time. This same kind of scam cropped up during the summer, according to EBRSO, and have happened in other parishes.

Gautreaux said the sheriff's office will not ask for credit card numbers, pre-paid debit card information, or other private information over the phone. Deputies said they also do not call people or email them to ask for financial information, or contact them through text messages or social media.

If someone gets a phone call from someone claiming to be from the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office or any other government agency, deputies say they should:

• Do not give out any personal information to the caller
• Do not give any form of payment over the phone, including pre-paid money cards
• Tell the caller you will contact local law enforcement to report the incident

The sheriff's office said if you do get such a call, report it immediately by calling (225) 389-5000.