Lottery Scam Defrauded Hundreds, Officials Say
A lottery scam has defrauded at least 1,000 Californians, including an elderly San Bernardino woman who lost $165,000, authorities said Tuesday.
Investigators with the county district attorney’s office said victims get a letter saying they’ve won a Canadian lottery and need to send a $9.95 fee to claim the winnings. The confidence artists take the cash and send more solicitations for larger amounts, said Investigator Jerry Villanueva of the district attorney’s elder abuse unit.
“Once they get someone on the hook, they keep doing it,” Villanueva said. “Then five or six months down the road, they sell their list, and someone else calls them.”
One San Bernardino woman sent in $165,000 over a year and a half, Villanueva said. Another sent about $25,000.
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