SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO

Two men who tricked an elderly woman out of $17,000 in a lottery scam may be part of a larger group that works different areas on a rotating basis, authorities said. Criminals connected with similar scams have victimized about 27 people in Orange County since 1992, said Sgt. Bob Blackburn of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

About 10 of the victims live in San Juan Capistrano and two live in San Clemente, he said. What is known as a lottery scam occurs when criminals dupe a person into fronting thousands of dollars for a phony winning lottery ticket, Blackburn said. Sometimes, victims will give up their life savings.

Blackburn said the numbers of scam incidents are probably much higher because many victims are to embarrassed to report it. Sgt. Gus De La Torre warns people to avoid falling prey to lottery and other scams by remembering one thing: “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”