A warning to employees of stores that offer calling cards: if you get a call from someone asking for activation of cards over the phone, verify the transaction first.

A Circle M employee recently learned that the hard way. On Nov. 16, she told an Oconee County Sheriff's deputy she'd received a call from a lady named "Nancy" claiming to be from the "corporate office." 

The caller instructed the clerk to get four $500 Vanilla Reload calling cards and activate them.  The clerk did as she was told and afterward called the company to confirm the activation, but was told the transaction was fraudulent, according to an incident report.