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.

 Groves says there's a few things with this scam that's important to remember. He says a call for bond will not come from a law enforcement officer. 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 Groves says you should hang up immediately.

 Another red flag law enforcement officers have seen with this scam, is the thief strongly discouraging the person on the phone from hanging up and calling back, 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.

 Groves says if a call you receive fits any of these categories, please recognize this as a likely scam attempt, hang up and contact local law enforcement.