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Police: Pair Con Woman Out Of $4,500 In Temple Terrace

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TBO.com

Published: August 28, 2008

  Suspect In Lottery Scam

Temple Terrace police are looking for a pair of con artists who bilked a middle-aged woman out of $4,500 when she tried to help them.

This is what investigators say happened:

A Hispanic woman approached the victim at a shopping center on 56th Street in Temple Terrace about noon Aug. 13 and said she was looking for an immigration office in the area. While they talked, the second suspect walked up and said she knew the location and could show them if the victim agreed to give them a ride.

While in the car, the first suspect claimed she had won the Florida Lottery but couldn't cash the ticket because she was an illegal alien. The second suspect called someone to "verify" the winning $250,000 lottery ticket. The pair convinced the victim to withdraw $4,500 from her Bank of America account in return for getting a share of the proceeds from the lottery ticket. The victim put the money into an envelope that contained money from the two suspects as well.

One of the suspects then said she had to buy a stamp, so the three of them walked over to a store. As they approached, one suspect said they shouldn't have left the cash in the car and told the victim to go get it. The victim got the envelope and returned to the store, but the suspects were gone.

After waiting two hours, the victim opened the envelope and discovered cut-up newspaper inside. The suspects had switched the envelopes while the victim was distracted, police said.

Investigators describe the first suspect as a white Hispanic woman, 20 to 30 years old, less than 5 feet 5 inches tall and 110 to 120 pounds with brown hair, brown eyes, and a slender build. They released a picture of the second suspect, who was described as 20 to 30 years old, less than 5 feet 3 inches tall and 130 to 140 pounds with a medium build and brown hair with blond streaks.

Both women are wanted on charges of grand theft and scheme to defraud.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Carlos Lopez at (813) 989-7049.

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