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Ohio’s attorney general says one of the top phone scams reported to his office includes callers posing as employees of the IRS and asking for immediate payment.

Attorney General Mike DeWine says the scams often involve detailed and believable stories.  Last year, his office received roughly 1,200 complaints about phone scams.

Prevalent scams include those involving sweepstake prizes. Consumers are told to send money for fees or taxes before they can collect their winnings. Some residents reported losing $40 to $190,000. Similar scams involved grant awards.

In another scam, con artists have pretended to be a troubled grandchild who has been arrested, caught with drugs or in an accident and needs money. The callers then requested they buy a prepaid card or provide their credit card numbers.