A Salina woman trying to adopt a cat fell victim to an online scam.

Salina Police say on Thursday a 57-year-old woman reported that on Monday she observed an ad on Facebook for a Maine Coon cat, which was available for adoption from a profile named “Nathan’s Free Kittens for Adoption and Rehoming.”

The victim spoke with a subject and agreed to pay $100 for the kitten and sent payment via a Walmart gift card. The suspect indicated the kitten was being shipped through a company called Global Logistic out of Lincoln, NE.

The victim then received a message from a subject claiming to be a representative from Global Logistic indicating they needed a $300 pet carrier rental fee and $300 for transportation fees. The victim paid through prepaid Visa gift cards.

The victim then received another message advising a refundable $1,000 for insurance was needed, which was again paid through a prepaid Visa card.

After the insurance payment was made, the victim was informed they needed an additional $1500 for a transfer fee which was required for the kitten to leave the state of Nebraska. The suspect advised this money would be refunded upon delivery.

The suspects then advised the victim a $1,000 “nanny fee” was required for the company to continue care for the kitten, which was also paid using a prepaid Visa gift card.

The victim then received a video of the kitten and was told the cat was almost ready to be shipped but additional transport and nanny fees were needed. The victim sent an additional $2,800 on gift cards.

The victim became suspicious and messaged the suspect advising they had contacted law enforcement. The suspect replied to the victim had been told not to involve law enforcement. The profile and post offering the kitten was then removed. It should be noted the correspondence from the suspect did not use proper grammar and language.

Total loss was approximately $7,000.