The King County Sheriff’s Office warned county residents Tuesday about an ongoing phone scam defrauding victims out of money to make phony arrest warrants disappear — and the perpetrators are using sheriff’s office and court phone numbers to do it, a sheriff’s spokesperson said.

“Our front desk gal gets multiple calls daily about this scam and it’s very concerning,” Sergeant Cindi West said. “And they’re so savvy that they’re using real phone numbers from the Sheriff’s Office to call their victims.”

Known as Caller ID spoofing by the Federal Communications Commission, callers are able to use a specialized digital connection to the telephone company to create the appearance they’re calling from a number other than their own.

Spoofing has been used by collections agencies, law enforcement and private investigators to varying degrees of legality, but the Truth in Caller ID Act passed by the U.S. Congress in 2009 declared spoofing illegal when used to defraud.

Victims have reported to the King County Sheriff’s Office that the callers claim an arrest warrant has been issued for missing jury duty service. The callers tell the victims that the arrest warrant will go away if they pay a fine over the phone, which they promise will be refunded once they report for jury duty.

Indeed, missing a jury duty summons can result in penalties in Washington state including contempt of court. Additionally, the latest round of scammers seem to have done enough research to namedrop real employees of the sheriff’s office, making the calls appear legitimate, West said.

Except for one important detail, West said: Law enforcement and the courts never call residents with arrest warrants to warn them in advance of arrest. Nor do they ask citizens to pay fines over the phone, let alone by purchasing cash cards and reading the PIN back to the caller, as is typically asked of victims in jury duty scams.

“This isn’t just in King County, it’s all over,” West said. “My parents live in Pierce County and received one of these calls. My mother is very police savvy … but even they weren’t sure if the call was real or not.”

So what can residents do to protect themselves?

“Just hang up,” West said. “Hang up immediately.”

West advised recipients of these calls to call the King County Sheriff’s Office nonemergency line at 206-296-3311.

Victims of phone scams can file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission.