SANTA PAULA : 2 Residents Bilked of Money in Scams

Two Santa Paula residents have lost money in a scam in which victims are approached by someone appearing to be sick or lost, Santa Paula police said.

The first scam occurred Sept. 22 when a Santa Paula woman was approached by a woman who claimed to be ill. A man then offered to help, and after a period of time, the conversation turned to money. The victim was escorted to Santa Paula Savings & Loan, where she made a bank withdrawal and gave the undisclosed amount of money to the couple.

On Oct. 5, an elderly man was approached by two men who said they were lost. The two gained the confidence of the victim and persuaded him to withdraw money from his bank account, saying they would use their vehicle as collateral. The men disappeared after receiving the money. Police did not disclose how much money was taken.

A Santa Paula woman was approached Oct. 19 by a woman who said she was lost. A man offered assistance, and the conversation soon turned to money and the woman’s bank account. The intended victim became suspicious, however, and walked away from the pair.

On Monday, a Santa Paula woman received a telephone call from someone claiming to be from her bank. The woman was told that an unlawful withdrawal had been made from her account and the bank would send a representative to take her to the bank to clear up the matter.

The woman said that no one came to her house, so she called the bank and was told no one had called her. She then began looking through her bank statements and found her most recent statement missing. She believes the statement was taken from her mailbox, police said.

Santa Paula police are seeking information about the suspects.