NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas - The New Braunfels Police Department is warning residents about a scammer posing as a police detective and making calls using a spoofed city number.

NBPD says that some residents have been receiving calls that appear to be from the department's non-emergency number (830-221-4100) from someone claiming to be a detective with the department.

The caller claims they're investigating bank fraud or similar crimes and requests the victim give them their bank account information over the phone.

NBPD says the caller may even claim to be helping the Texas Attorney General's office.

If you receive this type of call, New Braunfels police says do NOT give the caller any personal or financial information and instead hang up immediately.

How do I protect myself from scams?

Scammers are also known to pose as IRS agents, Publisher's Clearinghouse employees, student loan agents or credit card debt agents, says NBPD.

New Braunfels police has some reminders for citizens to help avoid being a victim of a scam:

• If you didn’t initiate the phone call, be very wary
• Be careful about giving out personal information over the phone, especially when the call was unsolicited
• Legitimate businesses or government organizations will never ask you to make a payment by purchasing gift cards or prepaid credit cards
• Be wary about letting anyone into your home or onto your property without proper identification, marked vehicles, etc., especially when they show up unannounced or unsolicited

To learn more, residents can also check out the FBI’s Common Fraud Schemes website.