By Kelly Doty

TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY, North Carolina (WLOS) -- Deputies are asking for the public's help after they say a woman posing as a federal agent scammed a resident out of $25,000.

The Transylvania County Sheriff's Office said the scheme started as a "classic phone scam," where the caller claims the victim has committed a crime and says the only way to resolve the issue is to pay money.

After failing to get the victim to transfer funds via a cryptocurrency machine, deputies said the scammers offered to send a "federal agent" to the victim's front door to collect the money. A woman posing as a federal agent then appeared at the victim's home and walked away with $25,000 in cash.

"Unfortunately for her, she forgot the most important part of any disguise... not getting caught on camera," the sheriff's office said in a social media post.

Authorities released images of the suspect and asked for the public's help in identifying her.

Anyone with information on the woman in the photo or her identity is asked to contact the Transylvania County Sheriff's Office at 828-884-3168 or submit a tip through Crime Stoppers.

The sheriff's office also advised the community that "real federal agents don't call demanding money, don't send you to crypto machines, and definitely don't swing by to pick up bags of cash."

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