South Lake Tahoe is experiencing an uptick in reported scam calls, according to police.

The would-be scammers attempt to steal people’s money by pretending to be affiliated with important institutions, such as the Social Security Administration, IRS and Liberty Utilities.

The scammer threatens the victim in order to bilk them out of money. The threat usually involves withholding access to money, being arrested for failure to pay taxes or missing jury duty and turning off the power to the victim’s house, according to the South Lake Tahoe Police Department.

One of the latest scams involves asking for donations to rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral.

Law enforcement reminds people to be highly suspicious of such calls. These agencies will not call individuals unsolicited trying to obtain money on short notice.

Often, the scammers pressure victims into making quick payments with odd payment types, such as Google Play cards, Apple iTunes cards, or Moneygram payments.

Police say if you are unsure if the caller is real, hang up the phone and call the agency or business back using a phone number from a legitimate source. Do not call the number used to make the original call.

Additional information on these and other scams is available here.