Baldwin City police are warning area residents about an ongoing telephone scam involving someone claiming to be the city’s municipal court clerk.

Several people recently reported receiving suspicious phone calls from a person claiming to be the clerk, said Baldwin City Police Lt. Gregg Schiffelbein. The mysterious caller told them they must pay a fine before the city issued a warrant for their arrest.

“This is a scam,” Schiffelbein said. “Our city court clerk doesn’t make calls for court fines over the phone.”

Instead the city’s actual clerk sends out letters notifying folks of their outstanding fines, Schiffelbein said.

The unknown callers all used actual information from Baldwin City’s municipal court system, including real names and addresses, to make their requests appear legitimate, Schiffelbein said.

The scam calls have appeared under an 855 area code, Schiffelbein said.

Anyone receiving a suspicious phone call asking for money is encouraged to double check the requests, Schiffelbein said.

“If it doesn’t sound right, you can contact Baldwin City municipal court directly,” he said.

In addition, anyone who receives such a phone call is asked to report it to police immediately, Schiffelbein said.

I report on crime and courts for the Journal-World. I can be reached by email at cswanson@ljworld.com, by phone at (785) 832-7284 or on Twitter @Conrad_Swanson.