VIRGINIA (WAVY) — The Virginia State Police Wytheville Division Headquarters is warning residents of a phone scam happening in the Northern part of the state.

Police say they have received roughly 50 phone calls Saturday, Feb. 20, from people living in the area inquiring about a phone call from a VSP “trooper.”

The scammer “spoofed” a legitimate VSP phone number with a 276 area code so he/she can appear credible.

Police say the caller identifies himself/herself as a representative of the Virginia State Police. The caller then tells the person that they have a warrant out for his/her arrest and must turn him/herself in. The caller then demands payment be made in order to avoid arrest.

The caller may request credit card information, bank account information, or payment in the form of a gift card.    

“The Virginia State Police never calls individuals to notify one of an arrest warrant. The Virginia State Police never requests payment for any service, debt, etc. over the phone. These scammers can get very aggressive and be very convincing in their demands, and are also using legitimate Virginia State Police phone numbers to call from – known as ‘spoofing,'” police posted to its Facebook page.

“Virginians are advised to simply hang up on the scammer and to never give out any personal information. Again, Virginia State Police will never solicit funds from the public in any manner and do not give any personal information to someone alleging to be doing so. If you feel you have been a victim of any scam, report it to your local law enforcement agency.”