An 85-year-old Pennsylvania woman was told her Amazon account had been hacked. Police say she later reported losing more than $154,000 in a wire-fraud scam.

The victim, who lives near Smithton in South Huntingdon Township, told Pennsylvania State Police that she had been scammed out of the money, according to the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office.

The Crimewatch page lists the incident date as May 26 and says the case was created June 2. State police listed the investigation as open and ongoing.

The Messages Claimed Her Amazon Account Was Hacked

WHJB reported, citing TribLive, that someone sent messages claiming the woman’s Amazon account had been hacked.

The report said a scammer claiming to be with the Federal Trade Commission then requested payments to resolve the supposed issue.

The FTC has warned about similar Amazon impersonation scams. In one alert, the agency said a call or text about a suspicious Amazon purchase may be the start of a scam designed to make victims believe their identity, bank account, or retirement money is at risk.

The Payments Reportedly Started With Cash and Certified Checks

WHJB reported that the payments started with $9,000 in cash. The victim then sent two certified checks for more than $70,000 each, according to the station’s summary of TribLive reporting.

The official Crimewatch post does not describe the Amazon messages, fake FTC contact, cash payment, or certified checks. Those details should stay attributed to WHJB and TribLive.

The FTC says it will never demand money, make threats, tell people to transfer money, or promise a prize. The agency also says no one from Amazon will ask for money to get a refund.

The Secret Service Took Over After the Case Crossed State Lines

WHJB reported that the U.S. Secret Service took over the investigation after the case crossed state lines, citing Trooper Brendan Hill through TribLive’s reporting.

The handoff to federal investigators does not mean an arrest has been made. WHJB reported that no charges had been filed as of its June 4 update.

The earlier TribLive community report said state police were investigating a theft-by-deception case involving about $154,000 and that no charges had been filed at that time.

State Police Listed the Case as Open and Ongoing

The Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office Crimewatch post says troopers responded to the victim’s residence near Smithton in late May to investigate the reported theft.

The victim told troopers she had been scammed out of more than $154,000 by wire fraud, according to the post.

The case status was listed as current, and state police said the investigation remained open and ongoing.

Real FTC Contacts Do Not Demand Transfers

The FTC’s Amazon refund guidance gives a simple rule for cases involving someone claiming to be from the agency: the FTC will not demand money, threaten people, or tell them to transfer funds.

The FTC also says people who get a call or text about a suspicious Amazon purchase should not trust the caller ID or the number in the message. Anyone worried about an Amazon account should go directly through Amazon’s official website or app, not through a phone number, link, or payment instruction sent by the caller.

Anyone who believes they were targeted in an elder-fraud scam can report it to local law enforcement, the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.