Authorities today warned the public about a lottery scam targeting the elderly in San Diego County, particularly seniors in the Hispanic community.
The “Pigeon Drop Scam” is a confidence trick where the victim is persuaded to give up a sum of money to secure a larger sum from supposed lottery winnings.
The scams are often carried out by one of more criminals in a retail shopping area or other public place, such as a laundromat or trolley center. There are many variations, but recent cases have involved a woman in her 50s and a man in his 30s, both Hispanic, and a third suspect who only interacts with victims over the phone, according to authorities.
The two suspects approach victims, often speaking Spanish, and say one of them won the lottery but needs help collecting the winnings, then calls the “lottery official.” That’s when the third scam artist says on the phone that good faith money is needed in order to receive the winnings.
The suspects then convince the victim that they’re just borrowing his/her money and also promise to share a portion of their lottery winnings with the individual. The scammers present “good faith” money of their own to convince the victim that the deal is legitimate.
The suspects then take the victim to his or her home or bank to get money or jewelry. Once the suspects have the money, they drop the victim off at a different location and vanish.
“Sadly, seniors too often fall prey to heartless scam artists looking to make a fast buck,” said District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis. “Our elderly population can be too trusting, and by the time they tell someone that something’s wrong, their money is long gone.”
If you are approached by someone claiming to have won the lottery, or that a large amount of money was found and that person is offering you part of the earnings in exchange for “good faith” money or valuables, here’s what you should do, according to authorities:
- Don’t pay for found money;
- Make sure the people you’re talking to are speaking a language you understand;
- Don’t be persuaded to go to the bank to withdraw money;
- Don’t take them to your home;
- Tell them you’re not interested and walk away.
Earlier this year, county officials rolled out an outreach campaign including TV spots and a Senior Scam Stopper toolkit aimed at educating San Diego’s older residents about how they can protect themselves from a myriad of financial scams online, over the phone and in the mail. The “Don’t Get Hooked” toolkit is now available in Spanish.
— City News Service
