A woman in Virginia in the US who said she was duped into stealing more than US$60,000 ($5,891,958) dollars from two volunteer groups to pay the Jamaican lottery scam will spend two years on probation.

Ethel Andrews, 74, who earlier this year pleaded guilty to two felony counts of embezzlement, was sentenced on Thursday.

The judge also barred her from serving as a volunteer in a position where she would have control over finances.

Andrews said she wrote and cashed cheques to herself to pay for sweepstakes that turned out to be a scam.

She said in 2006 she received calls from agents representing companies called "Global International" and "Worldwide Sweepstakes".

The scammers asked her to put up a small investment and promised returns of at least US$5 million ($490,996,500).

Andrews explained that she spent her entire nest egg US$150,000, ($14,729,895) on the scam.

When she ran out of money, she began dipping into the other accounts.