FORT PAYNE, Ala. (WHNT) — The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) says investigators successfully retrieved $25,000 for a victim of a ‘Publishers Clearing House’ scam.

According to the sheriff’s office, a resident of DeKalb County was contacted by a man claiming they’d won millions of dollars through Publishers Clearing House. The caller reportedly told the victim that in order to retrieve their winnings, they had to pay taxes on them.

Investigators with DCSO say they were made aware of the scam in October.

“Investigators spent many hours tracing the money through multiple banks and were finally able to locate where the scammers had moved the money,” DCSO said.

Authorities say they were able to return the money to the victim on November 15.

DCSO warns people that isn’t always the case with scams of this nature, however, as they generally originate overseas and money goes through multiple banks before being sent there. If that happens it becomes nearly impossible to retrieve the money, the sheriff’s office added.

“Scammers are constantly creating new ways to lure people into their traps. One of the biggest signs something is a scam is that you will be asked to pay money to receive money. Please talk with your friends and family to remind them of the ways to spot a scam and to remember to never give out personal information over the phone. I am thankful that our investigators were able to return the money to this victim,” Sheriff Nick Welden said.

If you or someone you know fall victim to a scam, you’re encouraged to quickly contact law enforcement.