FILLMORE : Authorities Warn of 2 Scam Artists

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department is alerting the public to be on the lookout for two scam artists who tricked a 54-year-old Fillmore woman into giving them more than $2,000, some of which the victim withdrew from a credit card account.

Sheriff’s Detective Dan Viveros said a similar scam occurred in Fillmore in October and has occurred in other areas. “Now that it’s so close to the holidays, this is going to happen,” he said.

Viveros said one of the con artists approached the victim, saying she had won a big Lotto jackpot but could not cash the ticket because she was an illegal immigrant. He said she then asked the victim and a female accomplice for help, offering them a substantial reward.

The accomplice then returned with a large amount of cash, and she and the phony lottery winner asked the victim to produce financial proof that she also could be trusted. Viveros said because the victim did not have enough cash, she got a cash advance from her credit-card account.

Viveros said the supposed lottery winner feigned a sudden illness and said she needed a prescription filled. She and her accomplice then asked the victim to go into a local drug store to obtain the medication while they waited outside in the car. When the victim came out of the store, both women had vanished.

The victim was left with a small purse that she thought was money, but proved to be paper cut to resemble U.S. currency.

The phony lottery winner was described as a Latina about 35 years old, 5 foot 3 with a slender build, brown eyes and long, fine-textured brown hair. She wore a black dress and her hair was in a bun.

The accomplice was described as a 5-foot-8 Latina with brown hair and a heavy build. She is about 40 and has a round face and wore sunglasses with dark frames. She was wearing a black and white coat, dark skirt and high heels.