A Port Chester woman was scammed out of more than $11,000 in cash and jewelry after she met two women who claimed that they won a big lottery prize and would be willing to share it with her, according to Port Chester Police.
Despite obvious warning signs that the 36-year-old victim was being targeted for fraud, police said the woman thought she was helping two people who were having trouble collecting their lottery winnings.
The fraud, police said, started at about 2:45 p.m. on Thursday, when the victim said she was approached by two women on South Main Street in Port Chester. The two women, according to the victim, said they were looking for a lawyer who could help them collect a big lottery prize they had won.
The women said they needed to go to "the lottery office in White Plains" with $30,000 so they could collect the prize. The victim was convinced to give the women money and the women drove the victim to her Port Chester home.
At the home, police said the victim turned over $9,000 in cash and assorted jewelry - including wedding rings - worth about $2,200. One of the supposed lottery winners accompanied the victim into her home, while the other waited in a car.
As the victim and one of the con women went to the waiting car, the victim was asked to go back into her home to get proof of identification and residency. When the victim came back out with her papers, the two women had vanished.
Police said the victim had been promised $19,000 if she would help collect the lottery prize.
Port Chester Police warn residents that if you are being asked for cash or to make a payment by wire or with pre-paid cash cards to collect on a prize, you are almost certainly being targeted by a scam. Throughout the year residents in Port Chester have been hit by a variety of scams, ranging from bogus lottery winnings to fake threats by scammers posing as representatives of utility companies.
Police suggest that if you fear you may be targeted for a scam, call them before turning over any cash or making a wire transfer.
