BERRIEN COUNTY — The Berrien County Sheriff’s Department is advising residents to be cautious of a possible phone scam or fraud technique, after a woman reported a mysterious call Tuesday.

The Coloma woman received the phone call at 8 a.m. on June 12. Her caller ID displayed (269) 983-7111 — a number that returns to the Berrien County Court.

A male subject on the other line introduced himself as someone from the civil department and asked to meet the woman at her home so that he could serve her legal papers. The unidentified male provided a toll-free number and wanted the resident to call it, so they could avoid serving the paperwork.

Police said if residents receive a similar call, they should avoid giving any personal information over the phone and hang up and call a local law enforcement agency. Today, sophisticated scams can clone recognized phone numbers, police said.