The suspects told the victim that the Lottery official said the trio should bring the winning ticket in with $13,000 in cash to demonstrate their ability to handle large sums of money. The suspects told the victim they would give him $20,000 for helping them after he claimed the lottery money.The suspects then drove the victim to an east side market where he took about $5,600 out of a savings account and gave it to the suspects.“They put the money into a plastic bag and told the victim to hold onto it while they got the rest of the money,” said Sr. Officer Fogata. “They left him holding the bag and when he looked inside it was filled with shredded newspaper. . .that’s when he called the police.”The suspects were last seen in a maroon-colored full-sized four-door vehicle with gray interior, a “new or newer vehicle,” said Sr. Officer Fogata.Both suspects were wearing long-sleeved shirts; the vehicle’s driver shirt was blue and he was wearing a brown baseball cap. The two suspects are about 5 foot 8 inches tall or slightly taller. “Both spoke Spanish and were dark-skinned. . .the victim couldn’t estimate their ages.”Chances are that the duo is from out of town, noted Sr. Officer Fogata, as “you wouldn’t particularly want someone to see you around after something like that.”If anyone has any information they are asked to call the SPPD at 525-4474 or the We Tip Hotline at 933-4253#1 to leave information anonymously.
SPPD: Old scam finds new victim for bogus winning lottery ticket
April 30, 2003
Santa Paula News
An old scam found a new victim when a 69-year-old Santa Paula man tried to help two men that said they had won but were unable to collect on a winning lottery ticket.
By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesAn old scam found a new victim when a 69-year-old Santa Paula man tried to help two men that said they had won but were unable to collect on a winning lottery ticket.According to SPPD Sr. Officer Jimmy Fogata, the scam occurred on Monday, April 28th.“The victim was coming out of a variety store on the 200 block of West Harvard Boulevard,” when he was approached by a Hispanic male described as slender and dark-skinned.“The suspect told the victim that he had a winning lottery ticket but didn’t have the documentation to collect the $400 million jackpot, which should have been the first tip to the victim,” that the story was not true. “The suspect said he was afraid to claim the prize and asked the victim to help,” noted Sr. Officer Fogata.Another suspect joined the two and they all went to Vons where one of the suspects went inside, returning with what he claimed was verification of the winning numbers.The lottery ticket also had a Los Angeles phone number printed on it, and the suspects dialed it up for the victim who spoke to someone who claimed to be a Lottery official and confirmed the win.
