Bucks County authorities are warning the public about a scam attempting to scare locals with the threat of pending arrest if they don’t pay.

According to the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office an out-of-state resident recently received an email that includes an attachment of an arrest warrant, which says they are wanted for being in contempt of court.

The arrest warrant, Bucks County authorities say the fake arrest warrant was made to resemble an official one, with the signature of a Bucks County Court of Common Pleas Judge.

County authorities say, in the email, the scammer provides a spoofed phone number to the recipient, which they are told they must call, so they can pay a fee and clear the warrant. Spoofing is when a caller deliberately falsifies the information transmitted to your caller ID display to disguise their identity.

“The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office wants to remind the public that the Sheriff’s Office and the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas would never ask for payment in this fashion or email a warrant” a Bucks County spokesperson said.

• People should never send money or provide access to your bank or credit card in response to threatening emails (or phone calls) you may receive claiming that you owe a debt.
• Whenever getting this type of notice, people should do an online search of the agency themselves and contact the correct agency to verify that they do not owe any money.
• People should never give any personal information, such as social security number, credit card, or bank account information to any individual, website, or company without first verifying their identity.

If you have received a similar email, do not respond, and contact your local police department to report the incident, the Bucks County District Attorney’s office says.