Insider Buzz: Elderly NJ man victim of lottery scamFlimflam artists conned a 75-year-old Perth Amboy, New Jersey man out of $6,000 on Monday afternoon, city police said.
Claiming to hold a winning lottery ticket, two men approached the victim at about 1:30 p.m. Monday near the intersection of Smith and Hobart streets, according to police.
The men asked the victim to help them, claiming they could not cash in the $6,000 ticket because they are illegal immigrants.
The victim then walked to a nearby bank, withdrew $6,000, and accepted a ride home from the two men and a female accomplice who was in their car, police said.
Along the way, the victim handed over the cash as "collateral" for a portion of the lottery winnings, Perth Amboy police Det. Joseph Sciortino said.
The thieves had promised to give the victim $5,000 in exchange for his help, Sciortino said.
Instead, the victim was handed a sock filled with pieces of cut-up paper, according to city police Capt. E.J. McDonald.
The victim did not examine the sock's contents until after the trio dropped him off at his house and then drove away, McDonald said.
The incident was not reported until Tuesday evening, McDonald said.
The elderly victim described the vehicle only as a dark-colored car, McDonald said.
The thieves were described by the victim as two Hispanic males, one of whom was in his early 50s, and a Hispanic female in her early 30s with blond hair, police said.
Elderly people are especially vulnerable to con artists, who have become expert in gaining the trust of their victims, said Sciortino.
"They're from an age when you used to trust people," Sciortino said. "It's hard to break the habit of trusting people."
If approached at home or in the community, Sciortino said, elderly people should be cautious about engaging with strangers who seek or offer help.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Sciortino at (732) 324-3814.
Avoid Scams
- Many con artists will gain access to the homes of elderly people by offering to make repairs or by asking to leave a message for a neighbor. Once there, they can distract the resident while an accomplice enters and steals their belongings.
- Thieves sometimes arrive at the home of an elderly person to show them a homemade blanket or quilt they intend to leave for a neighbor and then use the item to block the victim's field of vision while they remove his or her belongings from the home.
- Most scam artists can pass themselves off as courteous, well-intentioned people.
- The children of elderly parents should counsel their elders about the hazards of allowing uninvited guests into their homes.
- Elderly residents should call the police before letting uninvited visitors to enter their homes.
- Any deal that sounds too good to be true probably is.
