People in Oakleaf are finding very realistic looking letters on their door claiming to come from the Clay County Sheriff's Department saying they owe hundreds of dollars for obnoxious lawn mowing.

Clay County residents have a new scam to look out for.

People in Oakleaf are finding letters on their door claiming to come from the Clay County Sheriff's Department saying they owe hundreds of dollars for obnoxious lawn mowing.

The letter has the homeowners’ address, name, and references real Clay County Sheriff's Office personnel. It contained the Clay County Sheriff's Office stamp at the top left and a violation code. It claimed the homeowners were being fined for obnoxious lawn mowing - lawn mowing between the hours of 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. The penalty for not paying the fine - loss of lawn mower, jail time, and/or expulsion from the county.

Turns out, that wasn't the only scam. Resident Lashann Walton and several other neighbors got a notice claiming to be from the neighborhood HOA. This letter had an emblem, a list of infractions, i.e. edging, weeds, and a cost amount for each one. The homeowners' specific infraction was highlighted with a yellow highlighter.

"It does look like it could be legitimate," Walton said.

As one might expect, both letters are fake. The Clay County Sheriff's Office says they have not sent out any such letters and that there would never be any such penalties for obnoxious lawn mowing given by the Sheriff's Department.

Walton and other neighbors tell us they verified themselves that the letter from the homeowners' association was fake.

"This is definitely not from the homeowners’ association because I called, it didn’t come from them," Walton said.

Given that the letters came out over the weekend, Walton says they could have just fallen victim to an April Fool's joke.

"Hopefully it’s just a joke from some neighborhood kids," Walton said, "April Fool's since that was yesterday. Hopefully, no one took it as real."

Clay County Sheriff's Office says they are most concerned about someone coming to homes in the neighborhood with fake credentials asking for money on site in reference to the fake letter they left. They warn residents not to give them anything.