Seminole Co. Fla. – The Seminole County Sheriff's Office is searching for a couple they say scam residents into giving them money to redeem their bogus lottery tickets.
Investigators say the couple is responsible for at least two of four recent cases, the most recent being on March 8 at a department store in Lake Mary.
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The woman approached the victim and said she needed financial assistance and directions to the local Immigration Center, according to a report.
Deputies said the man, posing as a stranger, said he could help and knew where the center was located and convinced the victim to give them both a ride. The woman then told the victim she had a winning lotto ticket, but could not cash it in because of her illegal immigration status.
The man called and confirmed the lottery ticket in front of the victim. Deputies say the man convinced the victim to, jointly, purchase the ticket from the woman with him.
The victim then withdrew a large sum of money from her bank account in order to purchase the ticket, with the understanding that she would keep a large portion of the winnings.
After the transaction, deputies said the woman pretended to be sick and convinced the victim to pull into a convenience store to purchase medicine. The couple then took off with the cash.
Investigators say the victims targeted locally have been Hispanic females over the age of 60. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Seminole County Sheriff's Office at 407-665-6650.