Cash, Rutledge warns of fraudulent calls

Hot Spring County Sheriff Mike Cash took to social media Monday to warn residents about people receiving fraudulent calls.

According to Cash, county residents have reportedly been receiving numerous fraudulent calls and during the calls the people tells the victims that they have won a prize from Amazon or Publisher’s Clearinghouse. According to the reports, the caller tells the victim that to receive the prize, they have to put $2,000 on a prepaid debit card or gift card.

Cash noted that the calls are targeting elderly people and asked that the community advise family members and friends of this possible scam.

Recently, Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge also warned residents about scams involving people pretending to calling from utility companies.

“Arkansans should be skeptical of unsolicited calls where the person is demanding immediate payment by phone and claiming that a water, electric or gas bill is late,” Rutledge said. “I urge Arkansans to hang up and reach out to the utility company directly, using the number on their last bill or the company’s website to determine the status of their bill.”

The scammer may also request that the recipient purchase gift cards or prepaid debit cards to pay off the amount owed. The scammer will ask for the code on the purchased card, which gives them complete access to money on the card. In most cases, once the prepaid card money is depleted, it cannot be recovered. Remember, utilities will never require a customer to pay by gift card or prepaid debit card – only scammers do that, Rutledge said.

Arkansans should notify the company if they have been contacted by one of these scammers. If Arkansans have paid money to the scammer, file a complaint with Rutledge’s office.