The latest lottery phone scam has bilked an elderly woman in Roanoke Rapids out of $6,000, city police say.

Over the past five years, Captain Andy Jackson estimates mainly elderly people in the city have lost close to a half million dollars by falling prey to these scams.

The latest scam was reported a couple of days ago in which the victim was told she had the opportunity to win $2 million.

The $6,000 paid was either a processing fee or insurance. Jackson said while the scam did not wipe out the victim's savings, it did take a good portion of it.

"They are obviously targeting elderly people," the captain said. "They have you verify the lottery through the state Department of Revenue and the IRS."

The problem with numbers routed to agencies like the IRS is they are phony and more than likely are broadband numbers which are difficult to trace and are often in foreign countries, Jackson said.

Many of the scammers will start with a processing fee then call and say insurance is needed. "They will keep callIng you back through two or three withdrawals until a big chunk is taken out."

Police will investigate but often hit dead ends and money ends up laundered in foreign countries like Nigeria and Costa Rico. In many cases, this money is used to fund terrorism, Jackson said.

The best thing to do when you receive these calls is to hang up. "In legitimate lotteries you don't have to pay anything. When you win a lottery tax money is taken out when you win."

Jackson said it is important for family members to know what is going on in their elderly relatives' lives. "The family needs to pay close attention to what's going on. When you have an elderly mother or father, you have to be a little nosy."