A South Lake Tahoe resident on Jan. 12 reported a suspicious phone call to law enforcement that has led to a warning by officers.

According to police, a man identified himself as a Drug Enforcement Agency agent investigating a mail order prescription purchase the resident had made in 2006. The resident was told to send/wire $1,000 to avoid being arrested on charges of making an illegal prescription purchase via the Internet.

The resident instead called the police and did not send the money.

The DEA is aware of this scam and has posted a warning on its website advising criminals are posing as DEA agents and attempting to extort money from people who have purchased prescriptions via the Internet. The impersonator tells the person they will take action, which includes arrest, if they don’t pay a fine.

If anyone is ever contacted by someone who claims to be DEA agent or any law enforcement officer and demands money or any other form of payment, it is a scam, South Tahoe officers warn.

Police urge people to never give anyone personal or financial information over the phone or email unless having verified who the person is and what company they work for.

More information about the scam is on the DEA website.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report