A 100-year-old Statesboro woman was defrauded of at least $10,000 by her home health aide, the Bulloch County Sheriff's Office said.

Sheriff's investigators were notified of the exploitation of the woman earlier this month, Sheriff Lynn Anderson said in a news release issued Friday.

The victim had employed Carolyn Michelle Williams, 44, of Effingham Highway in Sylvania, for about a year to help her with household tasks, Anderson said.

The victim's family began noticing her bank account drop sharply, a loss which amounted to several thousand dollars over a four-month period.

Investigators reviewed the woman's financial records and discovered that paychecks written to Williams were far in excess of what she should be receiving for her services, the sheriff said.

The victim's vision is very poor and, apparently, Williams had been filling in higher check amounts which the victim, trusting in Williams' honesty, had been signing, Anderson said.

Financial records indicate that the woman lost, at a minimum, $10,000 to Williams through this fraud, the sheriff said.

Investigators obtained arrest warrants for Williams charging her with felony theft by deception and felony exploitation of an elderly person. Williams surrendered and was assigned a $15,000 bond.

Anyone with information on this case should call sheriff's Investigator Jared Akins at (912) 764-1789 or submit an anonymous tip to tips@bullochsheriff.com.