A Salina man was scammed by an imposter, he believed he already knew online.

Police Captain Gary Hanus tells KSAL News that back in late January the 65-year-old victim was contacted via social media about winning a ‘federal government grant.’ Police say the scammer convinced the victim he would receive $20,000 in grant money if he paid a fee of $800 for processing.

Over the course of several days the victim ended up sending $1,700 in gift card payments to receive the bogus grant money.

During the scheme, the thief sent the victim digital pictures of a fake grant certificate and a photo of a package with his home address on it.

After days of waiting for his money, the victim finally reached out to authorities after asking for a refund and being told, “no.”