LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - A woman said she thought she was on the phone with Lexington Police, but it turned out to be a scammer. Now she's out a lot of money and she wants to help stop others from running into similar problems.

Carole Sallee thought her life was about to change with a phone call.

"I was floored," she said.

She said a man claimed to be a sweepstakes worker told her she'd won nearly a million dollars. Mrs. Sallee said she tried to be careful.

"I called the Better Business Bureau in Washington and they said he was 100 percent authentic," she said.

She also said a man claiming to be the Lexington police chief called to verify the prize was real. Mrs. Sallee began doing what the man instructed-sending him money cards to pay for prize insurance, but after she sent several thousand dollars she knew something wasn't right and went to the police. She said the conversation with the supposed Better Business Bureau official now seems suspicious.

"Well, actually, he gave it (the Better Business Bureau phone number) to me. That should have been a red flag for me," she said.

Mrs. Sallee said that call from the man claiming to be the police chief was strange.

"It sounded a little bit like this guy, especially at the end when he called me, 'My darling,' so I think it was him," she said.

In all, Mrs. Sallee said she lost about $10,000. She says, while her money is gone, she wants others to learn from her story.

"If they get a call like that, please hang the phone up. Don't believe what they say. If it sounds too good to be true, it is. I'm a trusting soul and I'm mad at myself for doing it," she said.