A caller says there's a warrant for my arrest but I can pay to clear it, is this a scam?
Last reviewed: 2026-08-01 · Checked with Hunch’s on-device engine, the same one inside the extension. How Hunch checks →
Part of our guide: How to recognize a bank-impersonation scam →
It's a scam. Real police and courts do not call to warn you of a warrant and then let you pay it off by phone, gift card, or a payment link. Anyone demanding immediate payment to "clear a warrant" and avoid arrest is impersonating law enforcement to frighten you into paying.
Got a message like this? Paste it here →
The threat of arrest is one of the most primal fears a scammer can trigger, and a caller posing as a sheriff or officer, citing a badge number and a case, exploits it fully. Victims who can't be sure they haven't missed some obligation are pushed to pay quickly and quietly, and the insistence on gift cards or a payment link is the tell that no real agency is on the line.
Illustrative example of the pattern, not a real message someone received.
How to verify it yourself
- Law enforcement never calls to let you pay off a warrant to avoid arrest.
- No agency takes bond or fines by gift card, crypto, prepaid app, or a payment link.
- Hang up and call your local police or court using a number from their official .gov site.
- Threats of immediate arrest unless you pay now are the scam's whole engine.
Common questions
is an arrest warrant phone call a scam
Yes. Police don't phone people about warrants and offer to take payment to cancel them; that entire premise is fraudulent.
can I pay to clear a warrant over the phone
No. Warrants are handled through the courts, never by paying a caller with gift cards or a link, so any such demand is a scam.
police say there's a warrant unless I pay
Hang up and call your local court or police through their official .gov number to check. Don't pay anyone who called you claiming this.
how to check if a warrant is real
Contact your county court or police department directly using a number you look up yourself. Never rely on the caller's number or link.
If you already responded
- If you paid, contact your bank or the gift-card issuer immediately to try to stop it.
- Call your local police or court through an official .gov number to confirm there is no real warrant.
- Report the call at reportfraud.ftc.gov.