State Police say a 67-year-old Westmoreland County woman was scammed out of $5,000 by a caller she believed to be a Secret Service agent.
She told troopers that she believed the calls were legitimate because of the area code.
The victim told police the calls were from Washington D.C. and the fictitious agent told the woman to place money in a safe place as part of a federal case.
The woman purchased several gift cards and told police she had been sworn to secrecy and told not to contact any law enforcement agencies.
State Police want to remind you to never share personal information to strangers on the phone and never make payments with gift cards, cryptocurrency or wire transfers.
If you're asked to, hang up and call local police.
