Recently citizens in Johnson County have been getting scam telephone calls on home telephones numbers. The two prevalent scams are a family member is under arrest and the other is that you have won a large amount of money. The caller tells the person that a family member, usually a grandchild is in jail or the hospital and needs money sent to them. The caller will ask you to send the money via a pre paid credit card, green dot or wire transfer. The number is usually from out of state. If you receive a call about bond money or medical, confirm you are speaking to a family member. Ask a question that only a family member would know the answer to. Call the family member on the number you have for them. If they are reporting to be a bonding agency, check online for their listing and contact information. Whenever the caller is telling you your loved one is in custody and is in need of bond money, get a call-back telephone number for the caller, hang up and call the law enforcement agency where your loved one is being held, and verify the person is in custody.

The second scam is the Lottery and Publisher Clearing House Prize scams. The caller says you have won a large sum of money and you only need to pay the tax fee, or transport fee before you can make a claim for it. Again, they have you get a pre paid cards or wire the money. Of course the money never comes. After a period of time the same person or persons call and poses as a fraud investigation company who will get your money back, if you just send them money.

If you have not entered into a drawing or played the lottery, than chances are you have not won one. Even if you had won a prize, they would not have you send them money to get money. Never give out personal information over the phone i.e. Social Security numbers, date of birth, bank account numbers. If you have been a victim of a scam contact Law Enforcement and file a report.