U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents this week returned $4,632 to a Bowling Green woman bilked by telemarketing con artists in Canada.

The 90-year-old victim said she did not recall the specifics of the scam. Typically, telephone con artists pose as attorneys or government officials who call victims and tell them they’ve won the Canadian lottery, according to a news release.

The victim is instructed to send money to cover the insurance and taxes on their winnings, according to the report.

Residents need to be vigilant about these types of scams, said Michael Misiuta, resident agent in charge of the Bowling Green immigration office. The scams have already bilked millions from people in the United States, particularly senior citizens.

&#8220These sophisticated con artists appear trustworthy to their elderly victims, who aren’t used to such deceitful tactics,” Misiuta said. &#8220This woman was fortunate in getting some of her money back, but the sad truth is most people simply lose it. ICE will do everything it can to stop this criminal enterprise, but the first line of defense is for people to grip their wallets and purses tightly whenever someone calls and asks for money.”

The funds were recovered by Project COLT, a binational, multi-agency initiative that includes the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the FBI, U.S. Postal Service Inspection Service and other law enforcement and government agencies, according to the report.

Conviction – Alan Troy Williams, age and address unavailable, was convicted Thursday in Simpson Circuit Court of first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance and being a first-degree persistent felony offender.

The jury recommended a 15-year sentence, according to the report from the office of Clint Willis, commonwealth’s attorney for Simpson and Allen counties.

As a persistent felony offender, he would not be eligible for probation or shock probation and could not be paroled until he served at least 10 years, according to the report.

This was the 10th defendant with a felony conviction from a joint undercover effort by the Franklin Police Department and Kentucky State Police. He was also the fifth to be convicted as a first-degree persistent felony offender.

Final sentencing is scheduled for July 10.