Insider Buzz: Woman bilked out of $9,000 by 'Latin lotto scam' West Texas authorities are urging residents to be on the lookout for con artists running what has been dubbed the "Latin lotto scam."
Investigators said a Tahoka woman was bilked out of $9,000 on Saturday.
She told authorities that a Hispanic woman approached her at a Slaton store and said she needed $20,000 to collect on a lottery ticket worth $24,000.
Slaton is 15 miles southeast of Lubbock.
The victim said she had only $9,000, but a man posing as a passer-by offered to cover the difference.
The victim said she obtained the money, but when they went to Lubbock for the man's $11,000, the pair disappeared.
Authorities said the scheme preys on elderly Hispanics with a promise of part of the proceeds from a winning lottery ticket in exchange for cash up front.
The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reports the con artist usually said he can't cash the ticket because he's not a U.S. citizen.
