WOMAN, 82, BILKED IN LOTTERY SCAM.

Byline: Naush Boghossian Staff Writer

GLENDALE- Police are renewing warnings to residents to beware of lottery scams after an 82-year-old Burbank woman lost $30,000 in savings.

While officials said such schemes have been around for years, they said such a large loss is relatively uncommon. In a typical lottery scam, consumers are notified that they have ``won'' millions of dollars - but need to send a payment in order to access their winnings.

Police said they discovered the current scam after a relative of the woman reported it last week. Police said the unidentified woman was contacted by phone and told she won $2.5 million in the Canadian lottery but would have to send $30,000 via Western Union to pay the taxes on her winnings.

``In these types of scams, crooks specifically target the elderly and look for people who are easily persuaded or are suffering from diminished capacity,'' Burbank Detective Matt Ferguson said.

Ferguson said there likely are many similar cases that simply go unreported because the victims are embarrassed, making the Burbank case unusual.

The case has been forwarded to the Secret Service, which handles such scams since the perpetrators often are operating overseas.

Glendale police said they also receive reports that residents have been solicited for funds in similar scams.

The department's financial crimes unit regularly issues prevention tips and urges individuals to simply not send money.

``When things are too good to be true, they are,'' said Glendale Chief Randy Adams. ``Any time anyone is asking for any type of money or an advance in good faith to get money, it should be a giant warning sign that no matter what the circumstance, it's probably a scam.''

For questions about a phone call, e-mail or letter soliciting money, please call Burbank police at [phone] or Glendale police at [phone].

Naush Boghossian, [phone]

naush.boghossian(at)dailynews.com