North Dakota attorney general warns of scam

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem (STEN’-juhm) is warning consumers about a scam that involves prepaid debit cards.

Stenehjem says the scam artist tells a victim that he or she has won money but must pay an upfront fee to claim it. The victim is told to buy a Green Dot MoneyPak “reloadable” card, and provide the card code. The scam artist then strips the money from the card.

A reloadable debit card is similar to a normal debit or credit card, but a consumer must prepay a certain amount and can then “reload” the card with more money when the original amount runs out. They're sold at thousands of stores.

Bismarck police say an 83-year-old man lost $17,500 in a scam that used prepaid cards.

Tags: news, updates, scams, crime