A phone scam circulating throughout the area has Cherokee County Sheriff David Groves alerting residents and reminding them to be cautious if they answer the phone from someone they don't know.

The scam involves a thief posing as a deputy or other law enforcement officer and telling the victim that a family member or friend has been arrested and needs bail money immediately.

The thief will aggressively suggest the person send money to a Venmo account or through another online pay service so the family member or friend can be released from custody.

"There's a few things with this scam that's important to remember," according to Sheriff Groves.

"First, if someone is arrested, they will get a phone call and they themselves will contact someone who may be able to post bond for them. The call will not come from a law enforcement officer.  Second, bail is never received through an online cash payment service like Venmo, CashApp or PayPal.  Anyone suggesting that's how it's done is likely trying to steal your money and you should hang up immediately," continued Sheriff Groves.

"Another red flag we have seen with this scam, and many others like it, is the thief strongly discouraging the person on the phone from hanging up and calling back.  The reason they do this is because they are concerned the victim will be told by a family member or legitimate law enforcement that they are being targeted by a scam."

"If you get a call from someone you don't know and can't verify, the caller is asking for money and wants you to send it through an online service or gift card, and the caller discourages you from hanging up before providing the money, please recognize this as a likely scam attempt, hang up and contact local law enforcement," concluded Sheriff Groves.