SALISBURY — An elderly woman was scammed this week after receiving a phone call from someone who offered her money if she provided her social security number.

The called told the local woman she would receive $6,000 in order to correct fraudulent activity using her social security number. The caller said he was with the Texas Treasury Department, said Rowan County Sheriff’s Office Capt. John Sifford.

The woman, who lives near Rockwell, told investigators she received a phone call from a man who said his name was James Anderson. The man told the woman he was a marshal with the Houston, Texas, Treasury Department. He said someone used her social security number to open five bank accounts.

The man asked the victim how much money she had in her account, and she told him. The victim was told to withdraw $6,000 and purchase various gift cards. The woman went to Food Lion where she bought five eBay gift cards at $200 each and three Best Buy gift cards at $500 each. She went to Lowe’s Home Improvement and purchased seven Target gift cards at $500 each.

The woman was told to then provide the caller with the information on the gift cards. She told her son about the situation afterward and he called law enforcement.