CAMARILLO : Woman Loses $6,500 in Apparent Scam

A 43-year-old Camarillo woman lost $6,500 in a confidence game after she agreed to help a woman find her way around town, authorities said Monday.

The scam occurred after the victim withdrew the money from her bank Friday with the intention of depositing it in another institution, Ventura County Sheriff’s Sgt. Paul Oechsle said.

She then went to the post office at 2150 Pickwick Drive, where she was approached by a woman who asked for help locating a real estate office, Oechsle said. The victim told the woman that they could look the address up in the phone book, he said.

Then the woman pointed to a second woman and said she would ask her if she knew where the office was, Oechsle said. The second woman said she knew the address but had no car to show the woman where it was, he said.

The victim agreed to drive the two women to the office in her van. During the drive, the victim laid her purse containing the envelope of money beside her seat, Oechsle said.

She dropped the two women off at the location and they thanked her and left.

Later, the victim realized that the envelope in her purse had been exchanged for a change purse containing phony money, Oechsle said.

Authorities suspect that the two women had learned that the victim had the money in her purse. However, the victim said she did not notice the two women in the bank, Oechsle said.