Yearlong scam cost Lincoln woman $800,000

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A 79-year-old Lincoln woman was scammed out of $800,000, police said Monday.

The scam began about a year ago, when she tried to dispute an unauthorized transaction on PayPal.

Then someone pretending to be a PayPal representative called her and requested money to investigate, according to police.

The woman sent the scammer $1,000 to $2,000 at a time. That included bitcoin and gift cards, police said.

The scam was reported to the Lincoln Police Department on Friday.

Police urged anyone who thinks they may be getting scammed to report it immediately and cut off contact with the fraudster.