A 76-year-old Roosevelt woman was scammed out of jewelry and money by a man who asked her for help in cashing in a lottery ticket.
The woman was walking on Nassau Road near the intersection of Debevoise Avenue when she was approached by an unknown male, approximately 40 years old, five-foot-nine with a medium build wearing a blue shirt, a black baseball hat and glasses. He offered to help carry her groceries and woman happily obliged.
When they arrived at her home, the man explained how he was in possession of a winning lottery ticket, but was unable to claim his winnings. When the woman offered to cash the ticket on his behalf, he told her that he needed something as collateral. The victim then offered him various jewelry items but he told her it wasn’t enough and she needed to withdraw $2,000 from the bank.
A short time later, an unknown female subject operating a white 4-door sedan arrived at her residence and transported them to the Bethpage Federal Credit Union located at 405 Nassau Road where she made the withdrawal. When the victim finally arrived back home, she realized she was scammed and contacted police. The investigation is ongoing.
The Nassau County Police Department urges the community to be on alert and to remind vulnerable family members, friends and neighbors about potential scams or frauds. Detectives request anyone with information regarding the above incident to contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS or call 911. All callers will remain anonymous.