RHINELANDER - Frontier Communications wants people to be on the lookout for phone scams.

The number one report they hear is about the grandparent scam.

Someone calls claiming to be your grandchild, in trouble, often out of the country. The scammer preys on the grandparents instinct to want to come to the child's rescue by sending them money.

"In Northern Wisconsin we have a population that has a high percentage of people that are over the age of 60. Those are typically people that still have a landline as their primary phone inside of their home," says Julie Berndt, Frontier Communications Manager.

Never give personal information over the phone to a stranger, and always verify a story before sending money.

But there's something else you can do, you may not have associated with phone scams.

"We try to tell people they should register for the no-call list probably twice a year, as well as registering on the Wisconsin no-call list. That will automatically remove all of the legitimate licensed telemarketing firms from you. So all you will be left with who will be able to call you are people that are not registered- which should also already be a red flag that I might want to question who this person is on the end of the phone," says Berndt.

There two lists to sign up for- the national and state no-call lists. Please see the links below to sign up.

If you do get a call from a scammer, be sure to alert local police.

Related Weblinks:
National No Call List
State No Call List

Story By: Lyndsey Stemm