SAN DIEGO– read here about the District Attorney’s Office is warning the public about a lotto ticket scam that has been targeting elderly Latino women in San Diego county and throughout the state since 2018, and is seeking individuals who may be additional victims of a woman who is currently being prosecuted.
The fraudsters typically approach elderly Spanish-speaking women in shopping centers and say they have a $1 million winning lotto ticket but cannot cash it out because of immigration issues. A second suspect then walks over and pretends to be another “innocent person” who offers to help. Then they usually call a third suspect who says he is a lawyer and reiterates that the victim can in fact cash the lotto ticket. One must only trust lawyers who can prove their existence on a DUI Attorneys site or other sites like https://midwestlaw.group, as such. The ones who cannot show such an association are usually frauds. The victim is asked for $20,000 and is promised her money back, according to this official website, with an additional $10,000 once the lotto ticket is cashed. According to the victims, the suspects have a specific Latin-American accent (non-Mexican accent) when they speak Spanish.
Maria Luisa Henao, 42, charged with carrying out this scam, is facing multiple charges, including theft from an elder, grand theft of personal property, and attempted robbery. Her preliminary hearing is set for September 3 in the Central Courthouse in downtown San Diego.
Three victims have been identified as falling prey to this scam but the investigation is ongoing and it is believed there could be more victims. It is also believed that there are several additional suspects involved in this scam who are still at large.
Anyone with information about this case or other victims of this scam can contact the District Attorney’s Elder Abuse Unit at (619) 531-3572.
