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• The corps is also reducing the amount of water released from Fort Randall dam in South Dakota.
• The corps' Jody Farhat says the reductions should alleviate some downstream flooding along the Missouri River.
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Top ND prosecutors warn of telephone lottery scams
DAVE KOLPACK,Associated Press
• FARGO, N.D. (AP) -- North Dakota's top state and federal prosecutors shared the podium for the first time Tuesday because they don't believe people in the region are getting the message about telephone lottery scams that have bilked residents out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
• Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem and U.S. Attorney Tim Purdon said reports of scammers making calls to Dakotas-area residents have shot up in the last few months, most of them targeting elderly residents. One call went to Stenehjem's car phone and another to Purdon's office.
• "This is the first time the attorney general and I have held a joint press conference. I hope that underscores the seriousness of this issue," said Purdon, who has been North Dakota's U.S. attorney for about three years.
• Stenehjem, the state's longtime attorney general, said: "It has reached epidemic levels."
• Callers are told in a typical scenario that they have won an international lottery with a cash prize of $2.5 million and a new Mercedes, but those prizes cannot be delivered until certain fees or taxes have been paid. In some cases callers have been threatening and abusive, telling victims that U.S. marshals would be knocking down their doors if they didn't pay.
• Stenehjem said he was not offered money or a car, but was surprised that the caller persisted even when told he was talking to the attorney general.
• "Nobody knows that number, not even me," Stenehjem said.
• The prosecutors say scammers are technologically savvy, using auto-dialers that can place hundreds of calls per day and Internet-based mapping programs that can pinpoint a resident's exact location. Victims are instructed on the use of prepaid cards and online payment options that give the thieves instant access to cash.
• Once the card numbers are given out, the money is gone and cannot be recovered.
• "If you are asked to send money before you can receive your prize, it is always a scam," Stenehjem said. "It doesn't matter what reason the caller gives, it is always a (Continued on page 20)
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