SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Two people in South Dakota are out some serious money because of scammers.

“The scammers are very good at what they do. Very good at convincing people,” Sioux Falls Police Department PIO Sam Clemens said.

Recently, a woman was contacted by a fake officer telling her she had a warrant and she needed to pay money in gift cards to avoid being arrested.

“That automatically should be a red flag from there, but unfortunately this person ended up giving over $1,000 in gift cards. They provided the numbers to the people, and it was after that they realized it was mostly likely a scam,” Clemens said.

If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be an officer, make sure it’s real.

Call your local law enforcement agency and ask to speak with the officer or find out if the information checks out.

Clemens says another woman recently lost about $6,000 in gift cards to a scammer on Messenger.

The victim was promised a large amount of money if they paid some money in advance.

The scammer appeared to be someone she knew.