Elderly Woman Loses Life Savings in Lotto Ticket Scam

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s investigators on Thursday said they were looking for a couple who tricked a 79-year-old woman out of her life savings of $60,000 in a lottery scam.

The victim was in the parking lot of a La Puente market Aug. 8 when she was approached by the man and woman, who said they had won $1 million in the California Lottery but could not redeem their winning ticket because they were in the country illegally, said Sgt. Kelly Matthews.

They persuaded the victim, whose identity was not released, to buy the ticket from them, Matthews said.

“The male suspect accompanied her into the bank, where she withdrew all the cash she kept in a safe deposit box, put it in her purse and walked out the door,” Matthews said.

He said the victim gave the man all her money and they rejoined the female suspect. Moments later, Matthews said, the suspects said they had to go get their car, which was parked nearby.

“The victim lost sight of them,” he said. “They were gone with her money.”

Washington Mutual Bank surveillance photographs of the male suspect have been turned over to investigators, who described him as a Latino about 40 to 45, 6 feet 1 inches tall, 190 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.

His accomplice is described as about 30 to 40, 5 feet 3 inches tall, 110 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. They drove a beige, ‘70s-model, two-door van.

“Unfortunately, this is a common scam; we consider it elder abuse,” Matthews said. “It involves a segment of the population that befriends an elderly person with the sole intention of getting their bank accounts.”