A Salina woman was ripped-off in an online scam.

Police say on Saturday a 72-year-old female reported receiving an email reportedly from PayPal indicating she had spent $399.99 in Bitcoin purchases on October 29th. There was a number attached to email indicating if she did not make the purchase to call.

The victim called, and the person they spoke with asked for access to their computer which was granted. The suspect advised she had been hacked and he needed to fix the account.

A short time later the victim received an email saying the $399.99 was being returned but they had accidently sent $40,000 to her account. When the victim looked at her checking account she observed $40,000. The email asked her to return the money.

The person the victim was communicating with asked for a “good Faith” payment of $20,000. The victim refused, then the suspect asked for $9,900. The suspect told her to download Whatsapp and the Bitcoin app for communication purposes. The victim also sent pictures of her driver’s license and provided her social security number.

The suspect then had the victim drive to Snak Attack at 1619 W. Magnolia and deposit $9,900 in the Bitcoin machine. The suspect was on the phone with the victim the entire time.

It was determined the suspect had been able to access the victim’s bank account and move funds to make it look like $40,000 had been transferred into her account. The suspect was reported to have a foreign accent.

Total loss was valued at $9,900.

The Salina Police Department wants to remind citizens to not allow anyone to access your computer or provide personal information. If you receive suspicious emails please do not reply or call the numbers attached to the emails. If you have any concerns please call your local police department or contact your bank directly.