A phone scam has been reported in the KCII listening area. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is alerting the public to the scam, which is targeting the elderly population. The scam happens when an elderly person receives a call from someone claiming to be a loved on or grandchild who is in trouble or incarcerated and who needs money immediately. The caller tells the elderly person to not tell anyone of the call. Then, a person identifies as an officer and states if the elderly person buys a gift card or debit card they can in turn pass the funds on to the loved one and the loved one can be released.

The victims of the scam obtain the cards, call the imposing officer back and are asked to give the numbers and information off of the card.

Victims run the risk of losing thousands of dollars. Local authorities warn citizens of such phone solicitations and provide such information or personal information to someone over the phone.