Telephone/credit card scam active in area

WILLMAR -- If you get a phone call saying there's a problem with your bank card and asking you to punch in your account number, don't do it -- it's a scam.

Law enforcement and local banks are receiving a large volume of calls on an automated message that is being received via telephone, typically cellular, according to a release from Kandiyohi County Attorney Boyd Beccue.

The message claims to be from a financial institution. It states that a person's ATM card or bank card has been deactivated due to an attempted fraud. The person is then instructed to press "1" and enter the 16 digit account number.

Beccue's office urges anyone who gets one of these calls to not respond to the prompts.

The scam has been run throughout the United States, and tends to hit a certain area or region at the same time. If the financial institution mentioned in the automated message is an actual institution that you use, and you are uncomfortable about that, Beccue's office recommends that you disconnect and call your bank directly to check on your account status.

If you want more info on the scam, you can type the caller's number into an online search engine.