Scams on the rise

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Scammers are increasingly using the internet, social media and phones to take money, usually in the form of gift cards.

Often, people will get a call that their power will be turned off or they have a warrant, and then the scammer will attempt to encourage people to buy gift cards to pay them, almost always trying to keep it a secret from authorities or even family members.

Warren County sheriff Brett Hightower says they see and hear from people who have been defrauded all the time.

“There’s either somebody calling you, telling you you have a warrant, which there is no more. We’re not going to call and tell you have a warrant. If you have a warrant, we’re going to show up at your door and knock on your door, or they’ll call and tell you that somebody rented a car in your name. And it was it had drugs on. It was found on the on the US border. And in order for you to get this taken care of, you got to pay once again with a gift card,” Hightower said.

A good rule is to never answer suspicious looking phone numbers and never divulge personal information on the phone or the internet.