A phone scam being reported in Tehama County is targeting a generally reviled segment of the population. The Tehama County Sheriff’s Office has been getting reports from registered sex offenders saying somebody is trying to rip them off. The scammer calls the sex offender and claims to be an employee of the sheriff’s office, informing them that an arrest warrant has been issued and the only way to avoid arrest is to pay bail with a prepaid Visa card. That’s not how law enforcement agencies operate. Targeting sex offenders is just a new twist on a common scam that has the caller demanding payment for jury duty, a tax bill, a utility payment, or any number of other made-up reasons. The only common thread with phone scams is that the caller is very persuasive and knows what to say to seem genuine. The solution is always the same: Just hang up.