BROOKINGS – The Brookings County Sheriff’s Office is warning the public about a new phone scam reported Tuesday, said Assistant Sheriff Scott Sebring.

In this case, the victim is out $2,000.

“The reporting party advised they were contacted via phone by a male claiming to be a deputy with the Brookings County Sheriff's Office and that we had an arrest warrant for her for failure to appear for jury duty,” Sebring said.

“The reporting party was instructed to stay on the phone with the caller and drive to a local convenience store and put $2,000 on pre-paid Green Dot cards. The reporting party was then instructed to give the account numbers for the Green Dot cards to the caller and then mail the cards with the receipts for purchase to the Brookings County Clerk of Courts,” he said.

The person followed the advice and sent the money, he added.

“The Brookings County Sheriff’s Office would like the public to know that law enforcement will never contact you and direct you to put money on Green Dot cards, Apple iTunes cards, or other forms of pre-paid cash cards to pay fines. If you get a phone call similar to this, please hang up immediately and contact law enforcement,” Sebring advised.

Sebring warned it’s dangerous to send money by this method.

“It should be noted that once the caller/scammer has the account numbers for the Green Dot cards, your money can be immediately accessed by the scammer and it will be gone and law enforcement is not likely able to trace where your money is sent,” Sebring said.