It’s a reminder that you don’t have to pay upfront fees to win big money. On Monday, an 84-year-old Sarpy County woman received a call from someone claiming she had won a Publishers Clearinghouse drawing worth $1.2 million.

The man on the other end advised the woman that he was with the IRS and that she needed to purchase a prepaid card and provide the card number. The woman purchased a $500 prepaid card at a retailer.

Later in the day, the woman received another call from the man who advised her that she needed to provide $1,000 more to receive the prize. The woman returned to the retailer to purchase a $1,000 prepaid card.

At that point, an employee recognized her from earlier in the day and began questioning the woman. The employee immediately recognized the situation as a scam and contacted the Sarpy County Sheriff.

Sheriff Jeff Davis reminds everyone that scammers often target the elderly. The scammer knew the victim’s name. If you have a family or friend who is elderly, please speak to him or her about the scam. The caller had an 876 area code, which is widely used by scammers.