Woman, 70, Loses Her Life Savings in Con Operation

A 70-year-old South El Monte woman lost her life savings Friday to two women who engaged her in an elaborate flim-flam while she was on a shopping trip in Rosemead, authorities said.

Jovida Contreras was shopping at the Montgomery Ward shopping center on Rosemead Boulevard when she encountered two women who first persuaded her to drive to her home for $1,000 and then got her to withdraw $10,000 from her bank account, said Sheriff’s Deputy Bill Wehner.

Contreras withdrew the money in a good-faith attempt to help one of the women, who posed as an illegal alien who wanted to cash a winning lottery ticket. Apparently Contreras was going to help the woman by cashing her ticket, but in exchange the woman demanded “good-faith” money to make sure Contreras would not keep the lottery winnings.

The two, described as Latinos between the ages of 45 and 50, later allegedly conned Contreras into running a brief errand for them, leaving the money with them, Wehner said.

When Contreras returned, the women and her purse containing the $11,000, was gone.

The hoax began when Contreras was approached by a woman who introduced herself as “Teresa.” Then a second woman, Teresa’s accomplice, who called herself “Elisia,” walked by, asking directions to a real estate office. She said she was an illegal alien and had a winning lottery ticket which the real estate office was going to help cash.

Teresa offered to help cash it instead, but Elisia then raised the issue of “good-faith” money.

Wehner said it was unclear if the duo told Contreras how much the lottery ticket was supposedly worth.