GOOCHLAND, Va. — Searching for Pokemon on a popular new smart phone game is not a valid excuse for trespassing. It can also be dangerous.

In a post on its official Facebook page, the Goochland Sheriff’s Office links a rise in reports of trespassing and suspicious activity over the weekend to Thursday’s release of the popular Pokemon Go game.

The “augmented reality” game encourages players to wander in the physical world to find and catch new Pokemon on their screens.

Deputies said they have found people on business, church, and government properties late at night when the grounds are closed.

Authorities said those actions constitute trespassing and put both members of the public and law enforcement officers at risk.

Meanwhile, police in O’Fallon, Mo., said four teens robbed victims after luring them to a specific location using the game.

Police said Sunday that four teens used the game to draw victims to a spot in O’Fallon, just outside of St. Louis, and then robbed them. Police said the robbers put a “beacon” at a location to draw in players.

The police arrested the four teens after responding to a call for a robbery near a gas station. The suspects are between 16 to 18. Police said they may have been involved in similar robberies around St. Louis.