Cobb Reporter

The DeKalb County Sheriff's Office is sounding the alarm of a phone scheme where scammers are posing as deputies in an effort to take money from people in metro Atlanta. 

According to FOX 5 Atlanta, the sheriff's office has already received numerous complaints about the scam.

"You are being targeted by a criminal," Chief Deputy Randy Akies told FOX 5 Atlanta. "Just hang up. Do not engage in conversation with the caller and please do not give them any personal or financial information such as Social Security card or bank account numbers."

Authorities said the scammers are pretending to be deputies in the calls they make to unsuspecting victims. They tell the person on the other end of the call that they are about to be arrested on made-up charges before taking money from the victim, FOX 5 Atlanta reported.

According to FOX 5 Atlanta, the scammer then offers to help the victim make it right if he or she agrees to pay a fee, and meet the caller at an agreed upon location that in some cases has even included the sheriff's office parking lot. 

Deputies have stressed that no law enforcement agency would call a person to ask for money to avoid an arrest. They anyone who has received one of these scam calls to let the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office know, FOX 5 Atlanta noted.