Kenosha authorities are warning cell phone users of a possible scam that tricks consumers into thinking they’re getting a deal on a car warranty though they might be giving away private information instead.

The automated call claims the warranty on your car has or is about to expire. Then, the message usually directs the person to “press 1 if you’d like to speak to a representative or press 2” if you’d like to be taken off their call list.

But the calls typically continue no matter what option you choose, sometimes at odd hours.

Many cell phone users wonder how the callers have gotten their numbers, reserved only for family and close friends. Some have said their numbers are on no-call lists.

The Kenosha Police Department said it hasn’t received any formal complaints so far. But detective Jim Kendall has received the calls and is finding them equally annoying.

“For me it was a surprise to get these calls,” Kendall said. “They’ll pick that prefix of a cell company and randomly select numbers and call at weird times. I got one that was at 11 o clock at night.”

Police said your safest option might be to simply ignore the phone calls. By answering them or by pressing any numbers, you could open yourself to a variety of scams that result in additional charges on your cell phone bill or identity theft, police warn.

“Probably 98 to 99 percent of these things are going to be scams,” Kendall said. “I would recommend hanging up.... Refrain from pressing any numbers.”

If you must answer your phone, and if you’re still interested after listening to the caller’s spiel, be sure you know what you’re getting into. Always request documentation in writing before agreeing to pay any money.

“Everybody knows whether they have a warranty on their car or not,” Kendall said. “Some people are getting offers that are on cars that are early ’90s. It’s better off to be a savvy consumer and triple check whether the information they’re giving you is legitimate.”

Kendall noted there’s a variety of spins on the scam. Some calls are simply blatant solicitation while others are fishing for identifying information.

While some are legitimate third-party warranty dealers, Kendall said, other scenarios include callers who request money upfront, sometimes for services that don’t exist.

In another classic scam, callers can hack into a phone line and mask their number with another phone number that you might recognize.

“It could be a car dealership or a non-specific number that people might call,” Kendall said. “It can be a spoof of a number they may recognize and (the caller has) to sound convincing. I wouldn’t necessarily trust the number that’s displayed on your caller ID.”

Police suggest anyone receiving the calls report them to the Federal Trade Commission by going online to FTC.gov.

Kendall also suggested making sure your phone number is on the national Do Not Call Registry, and it might be a good idea to notify your cell phone company to try having the suspicious phone number blocked.