The Harford County Sheriff's Office is investigating a woman who has been accused of asking for and receiving money from her friends by claiming she had cancer when she may not have had the disease.

Those involved are apparently all employees at Bakerfield Elementary School in Aberdeen, as the sheriff's report lists the incident site as the school's address.

On Dec. 12, "a victim alleged a fraud occurred when a co-worker, through the early months of Jan. 2010… she said she was struggling with cancer," Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Monica Worrell said Thursday.

The victim and about five other employees began to pay for the woman's rent, groceries and flights for various treatments.

During the summer, the woman said the cancer was now at stage 4, spreading to her lungs and heart, and she had limited chances of survival.

The co-workers organized more fundraisers and ultimately raised about $10,000 on the woman's behalf, Worrell said.

Worrell would not confirm more details of the incident, including if or why the victim who reported the incident believed the woman did not have cancer.

"The investigation is in the preliminary stages and is being handled by the criminal investigation unit," Worrell said. "No charges are filed. Charges could be pending."