Sheriff’s officials in Pottawattamie County are warning area residents about a scam involving Walmart.  Sheriff’s Dept. spokesman, Lt. Pat McGinn told KJAN News they’ve received a couple of reports that residents have received calls indicating they’ve won a cash prize, but in order to claim it, they need to go to a Walmart and buy a reloadable “Green Dot” debit card, which are legitimate, but they “winner” is told to call back when they have purchased the money pack, so arrangements can be made to have someone collect it. The attempt to purchase the Green Dot money packs in order to receive a cash prize, is a scam.

Another variation on the scame, includes the person calling about the price instructing the consumer to scratch off a number on the back of the card and call them with that number. In some cases, the callers may claim to be from a debt collection agency. The Green Dot website itself warns customers about possible scams and reminds them to never give their card number to people they don’t know. It says “If anyone asks you to buy a Walmart MoneyCard and then give them the card number, it is a scam.”