Suspect in phone scam poses as member of State College police

State College police received a report of a phone scam that hit close to home.

According to a press release Friday, police say they were alerted to the scam when they were contacted by a victim.

The resident received a call from a suspect using the name of one of the members of the State College Police Department, advising the victim that there was a warrant out for his arrest.

The suspect spoke with an Indian accent and asked the victim to provide the number of a prepaid gift card to prevent being taken into custody, according to police.

Anyone who provided a gift card or wired money to one of these scams is being asked to report it to State College police at 234-7110. Police ask that only those who actually experienced a financial loss report the incident.

Victimization can also be reported to the Federal Trade Commission online at www.ftc.gov.

This story was originally published May 27, 2016 at 1:42 PM with the headline "Suspect in phone scam poses as member of State College police."