PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The Washington County Sheriff's Office is alerting residents after they've received reports of someone calling community members posing as a sheriff's deputy. The sheriff's office says multiple people say they got a call from a "Deputy Thomas," claiming to be from their warrant division and attempting to collect unpaid fines.

It was a scene ripped from a John le Carré novel. According to firsthand accounts and court documents, a man is told to go to the front desk of the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Manhattan and say the phrase “banana peel.” The concierge then hands him an envelope with orders to circle the block …

Police said the caller identifies themselves as an officer and demands payment for missed court dates, unpaid citations and subpoenas.