Another scam involving the purchase of gift cards has taken place in Crossville.

Police took the report Friday involving a female victim in her 70s.

She told officers she received a phone call from an unknown female claiming to be with the Federal Reserve in Washington D.C., and they were offering $8,000 to low-income individuals.

The victim was instructed to call a bank in New York state.

She did so and spoke with a man identifying himself as Mike, who claimed to be with the Federal Reserve Bank in New York.

He told the victim for her to receive the $8,000, she needed to go and get a $200 eBay gift card. She went to Walgreens and did so. She called Mike back and gave him the number off the back of the card.

Mike told her to buy two more eBay gift cards valued at $200 each. She went to Kroger to purchase them. She called Mike again and gave him the numbers off the back of both cards.

When the scammer told her she needed to buy two final gift cards to get the $8,000, she told him she could not afford to buy them.

The victim lost $600 in the scam.

Police say this is a popular scam. You should not have to buy gift cards to claim a cash award. Should you get a call of this nature, get the phone number the scammer is calling from, hang up, and call law enforcement.