Recent scams reportedly circulating throughout the county has prompted the Chilton County Sheriff’s Office to warn the public to be aware.

“We have had an increase in calls from people reporting scams within the last couple of weeks,” Chilton County Sheriff John Shearon said. “The scams range from people saying they are with Publisher’s Clearing House to a warrant will be issued for someone’s arrest if they don’t pay $2,000.”

Shearon said many of the individuals who have reported being affected by the scams have given away large sums of money over the phone before realizing it was a scam.

“Unfortunately, when someone gives away money and then finds out it is a scam, there isn’t much we can do,” Shearon said. “We just want to warn people to not give out any personal information to someone who solicits by telephone or email.”

According to a release posted on the Chilton County Sheriff’s Office Facebook Page, other scams have included online dating and chat sites.

“These types of scams generally begin with the suspect acting as though they are interested in a relationship with the target,” the post said. “Once the relationship has been established, the suspect will have them send money or relay it from another victim.”

Shearon said the most common type of scam circulating involves residents receiving a phone scam from fake IRS representatives.

Callers will tell people there were issues with their taxes and they are going to issue warrants to arrest the individuals if they do not pay.

Shearon said it is important to remember that the IRS would not call someone on the telephone about an issue with taxes or demand money over the phone.

“We are finding that a lot of people are falling for this because they believe it is actually the IRS calling,” Shearon said. “We just want to get the word out about these scams so that less people are affected. A lot of these people who are calling residents don’t even live in the United States, and they specifically like to target the elderly.”

Shearon said if anyone has a question about a scam or believes they might have been affected, they should call the sheriff’s department and report the call.

“People just need to be aware that there are people out there who are wanting to take your money,” Shearon said. “They will figure out every way in the world to come up with something that sounds believable to convince you to give up your money. The biggest thing we can stress is don’t give out any personal information over the telephone.”

To report a scam to the sheriff’s office, call (205) 755-4698.