LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff's Office has issued an alert to community members regarding a new telephone scam.

On Friday, several Lake County residents reported receiving telephone calls from an individual claiming to be a sheriff’s office employee saying the residents had missed jury duty.

The individual insisted that they must pay money to the sheriff's office or they would face being arrested.

Residents were told they had a warrant for their arrest, which was due to not appearing for jury duty.

They also were told they could clear the warrant by paying a $500 fine, and that they needed to go to CVS Pharmacy and complete an "electronic bond voucher" in the scammer's alleged name.

The scammer said that the residents could not go to the sheriff's office or the Lake County Superior Court in order to turn themselves in and, if they did, it would result in an immediate arrest.

If you get a phone call about jury duty, claiming a warrant has been issued and you owe a fine for missing a date and threatening arrest if you don’t pay it, hang up, as it is a scam, the Lake County Sheriff's Office said.

No court or law enforcement agency make intimidating phone calls and demand money from citizens.

Just as a reminder with tax season coming upon us, beware of scammers impersonating the IRS as well. These callers may demand money or may say you have a refund due and try to trick you into sharing private information.

These scam artists can sound convincing when they call. They may know a lot about you, and they usually alter the caller ID to make it look like the IRS is calling. They use fake names and bogus IRS identification badge numbers.