The Demopolis Police Department would like to warn the public about a phone scam that has been affecting citizens recently.

DPD Chief Tommie Reese said scam artists are claiming to be from payday loan companies and are demanding payments be made the day of the call or the citizens will be arrested.

Reese warns citizens not to give out any personal information over the phone to anyone they did not call personally.

Payday loans are loans given, usually with high interest rates, that must be paid back on the consumer’s next payday. Failing to pay back a loan is not punishable by arrest, but, in turn, threatening to have someone arrested for not paying back a loan is illegal.

The FBI offers the following tips if contacted by a scammer:

•Notify your banking institutions

•Contact the three major credit bureaus and request an alert be put on your file

•Contact your local law enforcement agencies if you feel you are in immediate danger

•File a complaint at www.IC3.gov

To avoid becoming a victim of the scam, the FBI gives the following tips:

•Never give your Social Security number – or personal information of any kind – over the telephone or online unless you initiate the contact

•Be suspicious of any e-mail with urgent requests for personal financial information. The e-mail may include upsetting or exciting but false statements to get you to react immediately.

•Avoid filling out forms in e-mail messages that request personal information

•Ensure that your browser is up-to-date and security patches have been applied

•Check your bank, credit and debit card statements regularly to make sure that there are no unauthorized transactions. If anything looks suspicious, contact your bank and all card issuers.

•When you contact companies, use numbers provided on the back of cards or statements