Lottery News and Stories
San Mateo police seek pair linked to lotto scam
Tuesday, January 24, 2006 posted 10:18 AM EST
SAN MATEO - The San Mateo Police Department is searching for two people who have reportedly scammed several San Mateo County
residents out of more than $50,000 by claiming to be the winners of a lottery, San Mateo Police Lt. Tom Daughtry said today.
Police report that the scam involves one person approaching Spanish-speaking elderly persons outside a retail store and telling
them they won a lottery but that they need help cashing the winning ticket.
A second person often poses as a stranger who becomes involved in the scam in order to give it a greater sense of legitimacy,
Daughtry reported.
The scammers then stage a phony call to a lottery official to confirm that the ticket is a winner, he said.
The scammers accompany the victim to another location, sometimes a bank, and promise to share their winnings with those willing
to put up good-faith money.
Once the scammers have the victim's money they organize some type of distraction and leave the victim empty-handed, according
to police.
In November 2005, a 68-year-old San Mateo woman was similarly defrauded of about $15,000, the department reported.
According to Daughtry, the pair have scammed about a half-dozen San Mateo County residents.
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