According to Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe, residents of Butler County should hang up immediately if they believe a call is fraudulent and contact police if they provided any financial information over the phone.

The alert follows a report of a resident receiving a spoof call Monday afternoon impersonating a Butler police deputy and using the same caller ID as the local department number.

A “spoof call” refers to a specific type of scam that allows criminals to falsify their caller ID and mask their identity. Its purpose is to lead residents to believe the call is legitimate and from a trusted, local number, which can be found over the internet. The caller will usually attempt to obtain gift cards or financial information to steal money, Slupe said.

According to Slupe, the county resident who reported the scam received two phone calls. The first was from a male caller stating he wanted to discuss a police case. Through the conversation, the resident provided his full name and address.

The second call displayed the same caller ID as the Butler County Sheriff’s Office, and claimed the resident missed jury duty.

Slupe stated that the original call was used to determine which county the resident lived in, which sparked the second call.