Clark County Sheriff's Office detectives are investigating a sophisticated scam in which a woman in her 70s was swindled out of more than $500,000 in gold coins.

The victim, a Clark County resident, was initially contacted by someone claiming to be from the Federal Office of Inspector General, who told her there was fraudulent activity associated with her Social Security number, the sheriff's office said in a statement.

Over several months, the scammer persuaded the victim to participate in a "federal process" to transfer financial assets to a new, secure Social Security number. The victim even received a phone call from someone posing as a Vancouver Police officer, who claimed the investigation was legitimate.

The scammer then convinced the victim to withdraw most of her liquid assets, purchase gold coins and provide them to an "undercover federal agent" with the promise that the assets would be re-issued to her later.

The sheriff's office said the scam is part of a trend of hoaxes used to take advantage of victims online, locally and nationwide.

Detectives are reminding the public to be suspicious of unsolicited phone calls or text messages. They advise people to independently look up the direct phone number for any agency or company they believe they are dealing with and call to verify the situation.

"Government agents will not ask for any payment in gold, gift cards, or cryptocurrency," the sheriff's office said.

Detectives also urged people to check with elderly individuals to ensure they are aware of these dangers.