Elderly woman targeted in Rite-Aid scam

KITTANNING, Pa. (AP) — State police are warning western Pennsylvanians of a scam involving a phony sweepstakes in which callers tell victims they've won money through the Rite-Aid drug store chain.

Troopers from the Kittanning barracks said they've been alerted by Rite-Aid officials that the scam targeting an elderly western Pennsylvania woman on Saturday has happened in other areas, too.

Police said a caller from a phone number that has since been traced to Jamaica told the woman she had won $18,000 but had to purchase a "Green Dot card" for $500 to cover the taxes on her winnings.

The cards are pay-in-advance devices that Rite-Aid customers can use legitimately like a debit card but which, in this case, was used to access the woman's money.

Nobody has been arrested in the western Pennsylvania case.

WPXI