Jun. 20—VALDOSTA — In recent weeks, some Lowndes County residents have been contacted by phone by someone claiming to be from “your local newspaper,” seeking personal financial information.

“These robocalls are not from The Valdosta Daily Times or from our parent company, CNHI, and should be ignored,” said Laurie Gay, publisher of The Times.

The calls claim that the victim’s newspaper subscription is expiring and they need to provide a credit or debit card number to restart delivery. These calls do not mention The Times by name, but simply start with some variation of “This is your local newspaper.”

Even employees of The Times have received these bogus calls.

If you are unsure whether or not you are talking with someone at The Valdosta Daily Times, hang up and call The Times at our switchboard number, 229-244-1880 for confirmation.

Anyone who thinks they have been targeted by a phone scammer should contact the Federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov/complaint.

Terry Richards is the senior reporter for The Valdosta Daily Times.