County officials are warning residents and businesses to be cautious after the Butler County sheriff’s department phone number and the name of a county detective were recently used in a scam.

According to Butler County District Attorney Rich Goldinger, the scam uses the sheriff’s department phone number, but the voice on the line says the caller is someone from the district attorney’s office.

“They’re identifying themselves as a detective from my office ... They’re telling (people) they were subpoenaed and didn’t show up (for court) so there’s a warrant for their arrest,” Goldinger said.

During one of these calls, the scammer coerced someone into handing over thousands of dollars in gift cards, he said.

A detective from the district attorney’s office would not call from the sheriff’s department number, Goldinger said.

Sheriff’s deputies will call people on occasion but will never ask for money, gift cards or any sort of payment, he said.

“If you would have a warrant for your arrest, you’re not going to be called and told that money will make it go away,” he said.

It appears, he said, the scammers have targeted medical professionals, calling Butler Memorial Hospital and a local doctors’ office.

Sheriff Mike Slupe said Thursday that anyone who was in real legal trouble would have already engaged with a police officer and had charges sent to them in the mail from the local district judge’s office.

“People have to do something wrong and/or not show up for a court appointment for there to be a warrant,” he said.

Slupe advised that anyone receiving this type of call should get off the phone as quickly as possible and can contact his department to check the validity of the information.

“Just say, ‘Thank you very much, I’m going to call the sheriff’s office,’ and hang up,” he said. “You just got to hang up. They will try to keep you on the phone. If you engage with them, they got you.”

This is not the first time the sheriff’s department phone number was used in a scam, Slupe said. In April 2023, a scammer used the same strategy — targeting physicians with false information about warrants for their arrest.

He added that he wants to educate people about what to do when faced with a scam call so that fewer people fall victim.

“Scammers will stop at nothing. They will think of some twist. They will use the names of actual deputies and detectives,” he said. “Do not engage in conversation.”

A similar scam occurred in April and used the Buffalo Township police department’s number. Chief Tim Derringer said a woman was contacted by a scammer claiming to be from a federal agency. The woman then received a fraudulent phone call from the department’s number telling her to come to the station with an attorney or be arrested.