El Monte Woman Duped Into Paying $28K for Fake Million-Dollar Lottery Ticket

By Simone Wilson Fri., Apr. 29 2011 at 11:30 AM

Maybe if more people kept up with Lil' Bow Wow's filmography, they'd be better equipped with lottery-ticket street smarts.

Would you hand over a $28,000 down payment on a $15,000 cut of a supposed million-dollar lottery ticket?

If not, you'd be $28,000 richer than a certain misfortunate/gullible 52-year-old woman from El Monte, who police say was befriended by three lottery scammers on April 4. They apparently earned her trust to the point that she was convinced to withdraw cash from two bank accounts, then let her new friends hold onto it while she bought them some water at a nearby market. (Cringe.)

City News Service reports that the woman only speaks Spanish --

and believed the scoundrels when they said "they needed money to help them cash the ticket," which they claimed was worth $1.7 million. Pretty sure that's not how the lottery works, but... well... too late.

One of the suspects is described as a short Latina woman in her mid-30s, and another as a Latino man of the same age/height.

Their trickery got pretty in-depth by the end: While their victim fetched them water, they told her they were making "a photocopy of the lottery ticket prior to responding to a lottery office in Temple City to collect their winnings,'' El Monte police Detective Tim Siedentopp said.

Haven't we learned anything from Lil' Bow Wow latest blackbuster, the life-lesson-filled "Lottery Ticket"? Or did, uh, no one else watch that. Heh.

[@simone_electra/swilson@laweekly.com]

Tags:

ATMs, El Monte, fraud, lottery, scam, Spanish

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jme

why is it seem that old spanish speakers are always caught up in this scam? Why isnt mecha or la raza commenting on this kind of behavior? why doesnt telemundo or primer impacto warn spanish speakers of this? Its sad how hispanics all want to stick together in America but when they hurt and drain one another, none of them want to say anything unless we where in Mexico then the Mexican federals would beat the shit out of the scammers then slap the victim in the face for being a stupid broad with more money then most of us.. Everybodies always saying Mexicos corruption in America, when all this mexican crime in America is the work of the U.S. Government.. mexican crime here in America wouldnt happen in Mexico.. Mexicos Laws are stricter and they dont offer programs for the poor dumb criminal.. Im American by the way, but I studied Mexican Law and culture and these illegals here actually dont represent Mexico. the illegals here are not wanted in Mexico, the illegals know this too, thats why they dont wanna go back. illegal immigration is a plus for the Mexican Authorities to rid of their homeless and criminal population.