COLUMBIANA — A city woman fell victim to a quarter million dollar fraud at the end of March, according to police.

According to a Columbiana police report, an unidentified woman came on station on the afternoon of March 27 to reveal that a scammer was able to gain access to her through a link to a Walmart order that she hadn’t placed, after she reached out to inform them of their mistake.

The report states that the fraudster first locked up the woman’s phone and computer before warning her not to tell anyone that she was talking to them.

The female victim was then directed to withdraw more than $20,000 in cash from three different banks and meet a masked male in her driveway for the drop-off. However, while after the man’s arrival, they relocated the drop to an address down the street in the 500 block of Springfield Road.

She estimated that occurred between 4:30 and 6 p.m. March 25.

Several days later, the victim discovered there was more than $250,000 missing from her accounts, including an international transfer alert to Abi Dhabi, which is known for its oil wealth as part of the United Arab Emirates.

Columbiana police detective Richard Whitfield was unsuccessful in garnering doorbell camera footage from devices located between the victim’s address and 512 Springfield Road, where the cash changed hands.

Whitfield also noted the banks said they were attempting to retrieve the money from the online accounts. He also provided the victim with the phone numbers for the local FBI office and Social Security, as her number might have been compromised.

The department has listed this case as closed in the absence of new evidence.

If anyone has any tips or information, which potentially can help solve this case, call Whitfield at 330-482-9292.