Several residents have reported telephone calls from con artists who are telling people they have won the lottery.

Wednesday, a woman called police and said she received a call from someone asking for a bank account number.

Durant Police Chief Gary Rudick said the callers are telling people they have won a lottery and that they must provide credit card or bank information to collect the winnings.

“The calls are originating from Kingston, Jamaica,” Rudick said. “They are calling and saying something like ‘You've won the Canada lottery.'

Rudick said many people who play the state lottery also play lotteries elsewhere, so they could be fooled. However, it is up to the person playing to follow the numbers to see if they have won.

“No one will ever call you on the phone and tell you that you have won the lottery,” Rudick said.

Under no circumstances should a person give bank account or credit card information to someone who calls. Scam artists also have called and claimed they were hired by a local bank to clear up discrepancies in a checking account.

Rudick said one person initially fell for the lottery scam but payment was stopped after the credit card company was notified.

The number that has shown up on caller ID is from Kingston, Jamaica, and police advise against dialing it.

“You could end up with a huge phone bill if you call the number back,” Rudick said.