CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake Police Department is urging the community to be aware of phone scams that recently have been circulating locally and targeting residents.

The agency said it has become aware of two scams in particular.

In one of them, an individual telephones the intended victim, claiming to be a police officer but not identifying their agency or providing a police badge number.

The phony police officer tells the intended victim that they have a family member in need of urgent medical care. The scammer tries to get the intended victim to provide personal information about this family member.

Fortunately, when a community member recently was targeted, they recognized the call to be a scam and hung up with the scammer before providing any personal information. The caller identification showed the caller was using an international phone number.

In a second scam, the caller telephones the victim claiming to be a kidnapper.

The phony kidnapper says they are holding one of the intended victim's family members hostage and not to get law enforcement involved. The scammer then demands money to be sent via wire transfer for the safe return of the hostage.

The police department said that there was no actual kidnapping and the family member was located by police safe and unharmed. This call also originated from an international phone number.

Police said these scams are just two of the many types of similar phone scams criminals use to try to get personal information or money from people.

With your personal information, criminals can obtain credit or services in your name, access financial account information or just steal your identity for a variety of nefarious activities.

Criminals can use local numbers and have ways of spoofing local numbers so their calls appear local. They may also target potential victims via text messages or emails.

The Clearlake Police Department warns community members not to give their personal identifying information or any financial information to unknown persons over the telephone or email.

If in doubt about a suspicious call, text message or email you received, please contact your local law enforcement agency.