LORAIN COUNTY, Ohio — Officials are warning Lorain County residents of a recent phone scam involving a spoofed phone number meant to imitate the sheriff's office.

The sheriff's office said the scam was reported Wednesday, when a scammer spoofed the office's phone number to look legitimate.

In a release, the office said that the caller identified themselves as a magistrate for a county judge who said a subpoena had been placed in December 2024 ordering for the person who answered to appear in court on April 15 as a witness.

The person who the scammer called was an employee of the sheriff's office.

Officials said the scammer had access to personal information including the full name of the employee, their date of birth and their home address. The scammer told the employee to report to the Lorain County Jail, at which point the employee recognized it as a scam.

Subpoena's will only be delivered by a uniformed deputy from the sheriff's office, the release said, and will never be delivered over the phone nor will residents be told to report to jail over the phone.

The sheriff's office is asking residents to not share personal information if they receive a suspicious call and to hang up immediately.

Calls should be reported to the sheriff's office at (440)-329-3709.