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N.D. (AP) – North Dakota’s top two prosecutors say telephone lottery scams have reached epidemic proportions in the region. Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem and U.S. Attorney Tim Purdon said in a joint news conference Tuesday that the schemes often target the elderly and other vulnerable citizens.

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.

Stenehjem says he himself received a similar call and the scammer persisted even after he identified himself as attorney general. 15 people were charged recently in federal court for a Jamaican-based scam that targeted victims in the Dakotas.

Purdon says the fact that it was the first combined news conference for the two men “underscores the importance” of the issue.