Salina Police are warning of an FTC scam.

According to the Salina Police Department, on Monday a person reported they had been scammed. The person reported receiving a text claiming to be with the Federal Trade Commission which claimed their bank account had been “hacked” and they needed to contact a provided phone number immediately, which the person did.

The suspect then advised hackers had access to the person’s account and were going to remove all the person’s money and they could not be stopped. The suspected instructed the person to go to the bank and withdraw all the cash possible from the account and then go to Walmart and place the money on a Green Dot card so it could be placed in an “unhackable” account.

The person removed $850 from their account and purchased a Green Dot card. The person then provided the card number to the suspect. The suspect also stated they needed the person’s debit card information including PIN so the government could track any purchases to recover any stolen money.

The Federal Trade Commission, or FTC, is an independent U.S. government agency that protects consumers and promotes fair competition by stopping anti competitive, deceptive, and unfair business practices.

The Salina Police Department wants to warn people on how to protect themselves from scammers. Scammers goals are to create instant fear in their victims usually through loss of money or fear of arrest. They then control the victim’s actions by keeping them on the phone, telling the victim not to talk with others or what to tell people when questioned, and where to go to purchase gift cards. Once a victim provides the number of the gift card to the suspect, the money can be immediately transferred off that card.

As a reminder, if you ever are contacted by someone who attempts to do any of the above actions and requests gift cards you are being scammed. No government agency will ask you to purchase gift cards.  If you receive a call similar in nature, the Salina Police Department asks you to slow down, take a breath, hang up, and call your local law enforcement, someone you trust, or bank before taking any action.