Phone scam costs Prairie Village resident $15,000

Prairie Village police are warning citizens be aware of a phone scam that recently led one resident to lose $15,000 in savings.

The scammers call and inform potential victims that they’ve won a lottery, and need bank account info to arrange for taxes to be paid on the winnings. The premise may seem transparent – especially for people who don’t remember having entered a lottery – but it proves attractive to some vulnerable citizens.

“You’re notified you won a lot of money, and something takes over and you lose common sense,” police chief Wes Jordan said.

Police say they tracked the origins of this particular scam to Jamaica.