AUSTIN (KXAN) — In a social media post on Wednesday, the Austin Police Department said it is aware of a person portraying himself as an APD sergeant.

The agency said there were several incidents recently where people received phone calls from the man threatening people on the phone that they could be arrested on federal warrants for a failure to testify in a case, according to police.

Things you should know

• APD said numbers can be spoofed and appear as if they are coming from a recognized government entity.
• If you are told you have an arrest warrant, request the name of the issuing agency and look up the agency phone number or email to validate and confirm its legitimacy
• APD says it will never call and demand payment of any kind to settle a fine, fee and/or warrant
• “You may face threats of additional criminal charges, increased fine/fees, etc. if you refuse to pay” APD says these are intimidation tactics.
• Do not share personal information of any kind, the agency says.
• Do not call or email the phone number and/or email address provided to you by the caller.
• When in doubt, APD says to verify a caller’s identity with the agency they claim to represent.
• If the verification fails, APD says to report the call to Austin 311.