Most people know by now that they shouldn’t send money to the Nigerian prince no matter what he promises in return.

But there are new scams every day and this week the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department was alerting the public not to be taken in by the latest one.

According to Sheriff’s Department officials, the new scam is targeting Guilford County residents and the department has been getting calls from victims and potential victims. One of the things that makes this particular scam so bad – and the reason the department is so adamant about addressing it – is that the scammers sometimes pose as Sheriff’s Department officers or other department employees.

“Several citizens have reported receiving phone calls from subjects claiming to be Deputies or civilian employees with the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office,” the warning from the department states, “and informing the citizen that he/she has missed jury duty or has an outstanding warrant for missing a court date.”

After hooking the victim with that claim, these Sherriff’s Department employee impersonators demand that the person called pay a fine or fee by phone in order to avoid being arrested. Like a lot of scammers these days, these impersonators request payment through prepaid money cards or gift cards.

The advice from the Sheriff’s Department is that anyone receiving these calls simply hang up. And, of course, they should never provide any money or personal information to the scammers.

The department also made it clear when it does phone people.

“While the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office may call a citizen by phone regarding warrants and other legal papers,” the press release states, “we will never ask for money or pre-paid cards over the phone to settle a warrant, a missed jury duty summons, or a missed court date.”

Anyone with information or questions regarding these scams is asked to contact the FBI by filing a report at www.ic3.gov or by calling the Sheriff’s Department at 336-641-3690.