Local authorities are warning residents to be extra alert to apossible scam reported in the area.

According to Lincoln County Sheriff Lynn Boyte, severalresidents have called his office questioning telephone calls theyreceived recently asking for personal information, allegedly neededfor awarding money to residents.

“They are calling people saying they won a $200 rebate off theirphone bill,” Boyte said. “Then they’re asking people for theircredit card numbers and bank account numbers.”

Boyte warns local residents to never give such vital informationover the phone to a stranger, even if they are claiming to needit.

“We just want people to be alert and not give out their privateinformation to people they don’t know,” Boyte said, adding thatsuch information can be used to overdraw bank accounts and max outcredit cards.

The recent telephone calls appear to be coming from Georgia froma company claiming to be working for telephone corporations, Boytesaid.

“They say they’re going to take the $200 off the phone billperiodically, not give the money in cash,” he added.

Anyone who has received similar solicitations or suspect a scamshould call the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department at 833-5231 orBrookhaven Police Department at 833-2424.