Scammers using Carson City prison telephone number
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Thu, 12/07/2017 - 5:58pm
A phone number connected to the main line at Northern Nevada Correctional Center in Carson City has been identified in an out of state phone scam operation, the Nevada Department of Corrections said Thursday.
A NNCC staff member was contacted by an out-of-state law enforcement agency, which was investigating a fraud case involving a senior citizen who received a call from a person pretending to be their grandson, said state prison public information officer Brooke Keast.
The so called “grandson” claimed he’d been arrested for driving under the influence and needed money. A second person was put on the phone claiming to be an attorney and gave directions to the victim of how to wire the needed money, said Keast.
The phone call showed that it originated from 775-887-9297, which is the main number to the NNCC. It is also a line that cannot be used to call outside of the facility. NNCC staff is looking into possible ways to block the use of the number, said Keast.
Nevada Department of Corrections has put out a warning to the public to watch for the number as it is a scam. Officials recommend the receiver of the call simply hang up and not engage the scammers. NNCC remains people to be skeptical when receiving a call from any unknown number and to report suspicious calls to local law enforcement.
