Bennet woman loses $1,400 in phone scam

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office is warning of a phone scam after a Bennet woman lost more than $1,400 to a scammer.

According to Chief Deputy Ben Houchin, Wednesday afternoon a 79-year-old woman called deputies and reported a phone scam.

Deputies said the woman explained that she’d gotten a phone call from a man who claimed to be Alex Rogers and was working for the Federal Trade Commission, and she’d become a victim of identity theft.

According to Houchin, the scammer told the woman that for FTC investigators to work and solve the case, she needed to buy and send gift cards.

LSO said the scammer kept the woman on the phone for two hours while she went to stores buying gift cards.

Houchin said the woman bought Walmart and Apple gift cards that totaled $1,450. Houchin said that unfortunately the woman did share those gift card numbers with the scammer and he cashed those cards for money.

Thankfully the woman did not share her bank information with the scammer, according to LSO.

LSO is reminding everyone that a government agency would never request payment, moving funds or gift cards.

Avoid Getting Scammed

Law enforcement said scammers are convincing and use tactics that can seem legitimate. If you feel unsure, it’s always okay to hang up, take a second look at information received and reach out to someone you trust.

More: BBB Scam Alert: Top tricks used to scam older adults

You can also reduce the number of unsolicited calls by registering your phone number with the National Do-Not-Call registry at 1-888-382-1222 or Donotcall.gov.