Las Vegas Sun

April 18, 2024

Man, woman sought in Las Vegas lottery ticket scam

Woman suspect

METRO POLICE

This woman is sought in a lottery scam.

Click to enlarge photo

This man is sought in a lottery scam.

At least two victims last month were approached by a woman claiming to have a $1 million winning lottery ticket that she needed help cashing.

By the end of the interaction, the woman and a second suspect would flee, while the victims were bilked out of their own cash — with hopes of a windfall dashed.

To catch the perpetrators, Metro Police on Tuesday released surveillance images of a man and a woman, asking for the public’s help to identify them.

On at least two occasions — Feb. 9 and Feb. 14 — the female suspect approached Hispanic women and told them that she had a winning lottery ticket but couldn't cash it because she is undocumented, police said. That’s when the male suspect would approach them, offering his assistance.

They would then get into his car — a black four-door sedan — and a phone call would be made to a third suspect who would supposedly verify the winnings, police said. The suspects would then drive the victim to get cash to pay for the services provided by the caller.

Once they handed over the cash, they would drive her to a home or business to “get the items that will complete the business deal while the suspects (left) the area,” police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 702-828-3483. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 or crimestoppersofnv.com.