An elderly woman from Pearl River says she was scammed out of thousands of dollars.

The woman, who only wanted to be identified as Theodora, says on Wednesday she received a call from someone claiming to be from the Treasury Department. She says the caller told her that she owed $6,000 in taxes and if she didn't pay she would be arrested.

Theodora said she offered to pay by check, but the person told her she needed to pay with iTunes cards. She purchased the cards and gave the numbers to the person over the phone.

Once Theodora's daughter came home she told her what happened, and they realized something was wrong. They immediately called the Ramapo police.

Police told Theodora that once the iTunes numbers are given to the scammer, there is no way to get the money back. Police warn residents that neither the IRS or any government agency would demand money over the phone. Anyone who receives such a call should call police right away.