A northeast Kansas sheriff is alerting the public to a hoax phone call demanding ransom to spare the life of a loved one.

The Johnson County sheriff’s office says deputies were contacted this week by a resident who was on the phone with someone claiming to be holding the resident’s brother hostage.

Authorities said the caller claimed the brother would be killed unless the resident immediately wired $2,000. The money was to pay for damage supposedly caused by the brother in an accident.

Johnson County deputies were able to listen to the call and get the phone number, which they learned had been used in similar scams in other parts of the country.