Editors note: the following release was submitted by Brown County Sheriff John Merchant

I would like to inform county residents of more scam information and also explain why immediate reporting is so important if you feel that you have been made a victim of a scam.

The new scam circulating is where scammers are notifying residents by phone
stating  that their credit card is over the limit and the caller is wanting  the resident to verify the card name and account number to make sure the charges are legitimate.  

One resident asked the scammer  what the charges were and where the purchases were made and the scammer demanded  the information  before they could give out the location and dollar amount charged on the card.  

When residents are hesitant about giving out the information, the scammer gets upset and  tells them that they will be turned in to law enforcement for prosecution for not cooperating.  This is a scam, if you receive such a call, hang up immediately.

If you feel you are a victim of a scam, notify your local law enforcement at once.
REMEMBER, NEVER GIVE OUT PERSONAL INFORMATION OVER THE PHONE.

I would also like to thank the banking institutions we have in Brown County for their cooperation with their patrons and law enforcement.   Recently, I was called by a county resident on a Saturday morning as they felt that they had been scammed out of several thousand dollars.  While speaking with the resident, it was discovered that they had went to a local bank and purchased a money order and over nighted it to an out of state address.

We immediately contacted an employee of  the bank on that morning  and they assisted us in making sure that the resident was able to have their money refunded.  

We are also working with an out of state law enforcement agency to try and hold the scammers accountable and the Kansas Attorney Generals office has also been notified.    

We are very fortunate to live in a small community where the banking officials are readily available to help out without complaint.  By having the ability to work together quickly and efficiently, this person was able to have their much needed money refunded to them.