A 92-year-old Lehighton woman was nearly the victim of a scam that originated in Jamaica.

Audie Mertz, officer in charge of the Mahoning Township Police Department, said Wal-Mart employees interfered and stopped the scamming attempt.The incident happened on May 17, Mertz said. He reported that township police were dispatched to the Wal-Mart store along Route 443 for a reported fraud.Wal-Mart employees advised police that the elderly female had come into the store requesting a "money pac card" for $100.Store employees asked the female for the reason of the purchase. Suspecting she was the victim of a scam they contacted police.Mertz said the investigation indicated the female had received a phone call at her residence advising her she had won a sweepstakes. The caller told her she had to pay a fee to collect the winnings.This prompted her to go to Wal-Mart for the money card.Police determined the call originated in Jamaica and the female was in fact the victim of a scam.Mertz urged residents to be alert to such scam attempts and to never give personal information such as credit card or checking account numbers over the telephone.