Suspects steal $1,000 from 73-year-old Burbank woman in lottery scam

A 73-year-old Burbank woman was reportedly swindled out of $1,000 in a lottery scam in which a man promised her a cut of his winnings if she would claim the money for him, police said.

A man and woman approached the victim at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 1700 block of West Olive Avenue and told her the man won $500,000 in the lottery, but was unable to claim the winnings because he wasn’t a United States citizen, said Burbank Police Sgt. Darin Ryburn.

Then he made her an offer.

If she claimed the winnings, he would give her $20,000. But as a show of good faith, he told her, he needed $1,000 upfront, Ryburn said.

Shortly after, a third man who appeared to be a friend of the pair pulled up in a blue truck and offered to drive the victim to her bank.

The victim then got into the truck, and the trio took her to Wells Fargo at 250 E. Olive Ave., Ryburn said.

She withdrew $1,000 in cash and handed it over to the suspects outside the bank, just before they told her she needed to get a receipt.

She agreed, and went back inside to obtain a receipt.

When she returned, they were gone.

Anyone with information on the incident is urged to call Burbank police at (818) 238-3210.

-- Alene Tchekmedyian, alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Follow on Google+ and on Twitter: @atchek.

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