LOCAL : 2 Steal $11,000 in Lotto Scam

An elderly Bellflower man lost $11,000 to a woman who promised to sell him a jackpot-winning Lotto ticket but instead took his money and disappeared with an accomplice, leaving him with a worthless ticket, authorities said today.

Edward Tafoya, 82, withdrew $11,000 from two banks to buy a part-interest in what he thought was a winning Lotto ticket, Sgt. Larry Blackwell said.

Blackwell said a woman approached Tafoya about 3 p.m. Tuesday in a supermarket parking lot and confided that she had won the jackpot in last Saturday’s Lotto drawing, but that because she was in the country illegally, she could not cash her ticket. Tafoya and another man, who deputies believe was an accomplice, reportedly agreed to buy the ticket as partners. The other man withdrew what appeared to be $14,000 from a bank and accompanied Tafoya to two separate banks, where he withdrew a total of $11,000, Blackwell said.

Eventually, both the woman and the suspected accomplice disappeared, Blackwell said, leaving Tafoya with a worthless Lotto ticket. Deputies said they had no suspects.