MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — A Myrtle Beach-area woman lost approximately $8,000 after a person posed as a North Carolina deputy and asked for gift cards to avoid being arrested for not showing up to jury duty in Raleigh, according to a police report.

The woman showed up Monday at the Myrtle Beach Police Department and reported that she was contacted by a man pretending to be with the Wake County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina, according to the report.

The man allegedly told the woman to purchase Target gift cards from various retailers in amounts of either $500 or $495, according to the report.

The man stayed on the phone with the woman while she purchased the gift cards. After losing contact with the man, the woman went to the Myrtle Beach Police Department, where officers informed her of the scam, according to the report.

Some of the cards were bought in Myrtle Beach, while a majority of them were bought at stores in North Myrtle Beach, according to the report.

The Myrtle Beach Police Department is investigating.