ROSWELL, GA — A Roswell police officer thwarted a phone scam by someone pretending to be a police officer.

Officer Tim Lupo says a hospital worker approached the real officer while he was working an off-duty job saying they were getting demanding calls.

“Gave the name of a real employee of the Roswell Police Department and claimed that person owed money due to a warrant they had. It was obviously not a real call and we were able to intercept that pretty quickly,” said Lupo.

Lupo is issuing a warning to the public saying if you get a similar call, hang up and call the actual police department yourself.

He says police will never demand payment by phone. Roswell police are still trying to track down the scammer in this case, but Lupo says the calls often originate in other states or countries.