SENIOR TARGETED IN LOTTERY SCHEME WOMAN LOSES $10,000 TO COUPLE OF CON ARTISTS.Byline: Angie Valencia-Martinez Staff WriterSIMI VALLEY Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. - A 69-year-old woman was duped out of $10,000 after she fell for a lottery scam Ask a Lawyer Question Country: United States of America State: Indiana I am receiving several e-mails telling me that my e-mail address has been put in a lottery and drawn out as a winner Ex. last week, prompting police to warn elderly residents to be aware of con artists. Fraudulent The description of a willful act commenced with the Specific Intent to deceive or cheat, in order to cause some financial detriment to another and to engender personal financial gain. lottery schemes tend to target senior citizens, promising a large share of nonexistent non·ex·is·tence n. 1. The condition of not existing. 2. Something that does not exist. non winnings for thousands of dollars up front, said Simi Valley police Sgt. John Adamczyk. ``If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,'' Adamczyk said. ``It's difficult to catch the (thieves) because by the time the victim realizes their money is gone, they're gone.'' In the latest case, Adamczyk said, a Latina was approached by two Spanish-speaking men hile shopping at Jo-Ann Fabrics. They asked her for directions to an immigration immigration, entrance of a person (an alien) into a new country for the purpose of establishing permanent residence. Motives for immigration, like those for migration generally, are often economic, although religious or political factors may be very important. office and persuaded her to drive them there. En route, one of the men said he needed to obtain false citizenship papers in order to cash in a $300,000 lottery ticket, but needed to pay a $25,000 deposit in order to collect his winnings, police said. The woman agreed to help when the man said he didn't have enough money, and she withdrew $10,000 from her bank account. She then drove to their bank and waited for an hour before realizing they had disappeared with her money, Adamczyk said. The men are described as having average builds, and being between 40 and 50 years of age. Officials are asking anyone who may have been the victim of the scheme or who has information on the case to call the Simi Valley Police Department The Simi Valley Police Department (SVPD) is the police department of the city of Simi Valley, California. The department currently has over 120 sworn officers, and more than 65 support personnel[1]. The department has a patrol area that covers over 39 square miles. , (805) 583-6950. Elder abuse Elder Abuse Definition Elder abuse is a general term used to describe harmful acts toward an elderly adult, such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional or psychological abuse, financial exploitation, and neglect, including self-neglect. is the fastest-growing crime in the county and there are various variations of the lottery scam, which is common. Joan Virginia Allen, coordinator of the Financial Abuse Specialist Team in Ventura County, said she knows of an elderly woman who lost $250,000 in a lottery scam. ``If it's truly a prize, then there's never a charge for the prize,'' she said. ``They prey on seniors because they tend to be trusting. ``With the boomers coming up, that will be less the case. Our older seniors are very trusting. That's the way they were raised and they know that and take advantage of it.'' Allen said it's hard to keep statistics on the number of victims who fall for such schemes because oftentimes of·ten·times also oft·times adv. Frequently; repeatedly. Adv. 1. oftentimes - many times at short intervals; "we often met over a cup of coffee" frequently, oft, often, ofttimes seniors are too embarrassed to report the crime. Angie Valencia-Martinez, (805) 583-7604 angie.valencia(at)dailynews.com |
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