HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Police have received reports from local residents who say they were scammed out of thousands of dollars.

According to Police Lt. Dustin Loepp, the scammers will call elderly residents saying they are with different companies — such as AT&T or the Social Security Administration. The scammers will then tell the victim their account has been hacked. The victim is then told to purchase a gift card at Walmart or Dillons. The scam artist then asks for the numbers off the back of the gift card.

In one case, a man purchased six Home Depot cards for $500 each. In another case, a woman was convinced to give her bank account information.

This phone scam in the local area has garnered the crooks thousands of dollars.

They often make civil threats toward victims and manipulate them into fulfilling their requests.

“The scam artist could be in another state or even another country,” Lt. Loepp said, “it makes it hard to find these people.”

If you suspect something is suspicious with a caller, hang up and call your bank — or the organization the scammer claims to represent — to check the legitimacy of the claim and ensure your accounts are safe.