(ABC 6 News) – With the rise of recent scams, it’s important to protect yourself from falling victim. Here are some ways you can stay safe.

It’s a common refrain from police these days, if you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be law enforcement and asking you to send over money, don’t do it.

“They’re doing certain things like that to make themselves appear as genuine as possible to be law enforcement,” Lt. Ryan Lodermeier with Rochester police said.

It’s happening across the country, and right here in Rochester as two women recently lost thousands of dollars after being targeted by scammers.

The criminals will often use intimidation tactics like threatening to issue a warrant to try to pressure people into paying up.

“When our stress levels go up and we’re faced with something like this, sometimes we’re not taking a few moments to slow down and think about the picture as a whole to see is this potentially legitimate,” Lt. Lodermeier said.

In one of the incidents, the victim said the scammer told them to send $10,000 to avoid arrest after missing an unspecified court date.

Law enforcement will never contact individuals and ask for money to settle any court case.

“Typically, the first stages are correspondence via the mail, then we’ll send you a notification in the mail with a letterhead saying you missed a court case, contact us at this phone number to resolve this situation, if the offense is serious enough you may have an actual police officer or deputy knocking at your door,” Lt. Lodermeier said.

Another way to protect yourself from this type of scam to check to see if you’re scheduled to appear in court using the Minnesota court records online.

All you have to do is type your first and last name and the date of your alleged hearing. If nothing shows up, then it’s safe to say it was false.

Law enforcement says, if you don’t recognize the number, don’t answer the phone.

If you do and you’re unsure whether you’re being contacted by law enforcement or a scammer, call the Olmsted County sheriff’s office and ask to speak to a deputy to clarify the situation.