Lincoln woman scammed out of more than $260,000 in cash, bitcoin and gold bars

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A Lincoln woman lost more than $260,000 in a scam that involved cash, gold bars and bitcoin, police said Wednesday.

A 75-year-old woman told police that in May, she called a number that she thought was for Amazon customer service about a damaged item.

She was then referred to different supposed agencies, eventually talking to someone who claimed to be from the Treasury Department.

The scammer told her that her identity, including her Social Security number, had been stolen.

It was the beginning of a monthslong scam.

Over the course of the summer, the scammer repeatedly told the victim to buy bitcoin and gold bars.

The victim mailed cash and transferred bitcoin digitally. She put the gold bars at her front door, and someone came to pick them up.

The Lincoln Police Department said you should independently verify the identity of anyone claiming to be with a certain agency or company.