MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Detectives are investigating reports of scams from people pretending to be members of the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

The callers are telling residents they must pay fines or face jail time and have reportedly appeared on Caller IDs as (941) 747-3011 – the MCSO non-emergency line.

In one case, a woman was told she failed to respond to a subpoena and a bench warrant had been issued for her arrest if she did not pay a fine of $3,000 immediately.

The scammer also identified themselves using the name of a real deputy in an attempt to make the potential victim believe the call was legitimate. The woman didn’t fall for it and contacted authorities.

If you receive calls such as this one asking for money or gift cards, treat the call as a scam and notify law enforcement.  Anyone seeking information on scams can call the Manatee County Sheriff's Office at 941-747-3011.

In a news release, the Sheriff's Office offered tips for handling these calls:

•    If you get a strange call from the government, hang up. If you want to check it out, visit the official website for contact information. Government employees won’t call out of the blue to demand money or account information.

•    Don’t give out — or confirm — your personal or financial information to someone who calls.

•    Don’t wire money or send money using a reloadable card. In fact, never pay someone who calls out of the blue, even if the name or number on the caller ID looks legit.

•    Feeling pressured to act immediately? Hang up. That’s a sign of a scam.