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Police in Boston are on the lookout for two suspects who allegedly stole money from a woman in a lottery scam recently.
The latest lottery scam
Around 11:15 a.m. ET on November 8, an incident took place around the area of 150 Meridian Street in East Boston, according to the Boston Police Department.
According to police, the suspects allegedly approached the victim, exposed them to an unknown substance, and then coerced her into withdrawing money from a nearby bank.
In a police report obtained by WBZ-TV, officials said the suspects promised to pay the victim money from a winning lottery ticket if she took out $5,000 from the Citizens Bank across the street.
The woman went to the bank and withdrew the money before coming back and giving the money to the scammers. In return, the suspects gave her a bag that she thought had money in it. Turns out, the bag was empty.
The police need your help
Now the police are asking the help of the public to find these suspects. As seen in the photo above, the man and woman were both wearing masks at the time of the incident.
Officials described the man as being about five feet tall and between 35 and 38 years of age. At the time, he was said to have been wearing a sweatshirt and a green hat.
The female suspect was described as being about five feet two inches tall and between 48 and 49 years of age. She was wearing a black winter hat, black sunglasses, a striped shirt, and blue pants at the time of the incident.
While police are searching for the suspects, residents of the area hope police start to patrol a little bit more.
"It's a shame. People try to take advantage of people like that," an East Boston resident told WBZ-TV.
Other similar incidents taking place in East Boston
While this is a new incident that took place, police are seeing some similarities between this latest scheme and two other incidents that have taken place in East Boston this year.
While police didn't mention if the suspects were the same in all of the incidents, they did say the suspects in each case used a fake story about a winning lottery ticket in order to coerce the victims into giving them money or valuables.
If you happen to have any information regarding these incidents, you are being urged to call the Boston Police District A-7 Detectives at 617-343-4234.
Other recent lottery scams
In addition to this lottery scam in Boston, there have been some other scams recently popping up around the country.
One scam involved an 82-year-old Florida woman who claims to have lost over $40,000 in a lottery scam, which involved her sending money to an address in Indianapolis in order to get the $8 million lottery jackpot the suspects claim she won.
In Arkansas, officials are warning of a current scam going around where the caller claims the victim won a “grand prize promotion,” which consists of $797,000 and a 2025 Chevy Equinox. The scammer then requests your name and tax ID to “verify” the win, but there really isn't any kind of win, and they are looking to steal the victim's personal information.
How can you avoid being the next victim?
So, what can you do to avoid becoming the next victim of one of these lottery scams? You should follow these steps:
- You should never give out personal information to unsolicited callers.
- If they claim to be from the lottery, hang up and then call the official lottery office for your state to verify what the original callers were claiming.
- You should always verify any wins through official channels.
- If you have an online lottery account, you can log into your account to verify any actual prizes you may have won.
- Monitor your credit report to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity.
- If you believe you are a victim of fraud, you should contact local authorities immediately.
By being proactive in the situation, you can help protect yourself from any potential identity theft or financial harm.
Enjoy playing the Massachusetts Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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