80-year-old woman loses $90K in lottery scheme

An elderly woman lost a fortune after a pair of scam artists in Queens tricked her into helping them cash in a lottery ticket, police said.

One of the alleged schemers — a Hispanic woman in her 40s — approached the 80-year-old victim at about 2:30 p.m. on Sept. 9 on Jamaica Avenue near Forest Parkway in Woodhaven. After exiting a Jeep Cherokee Latitude, she asked the victim if she could aid her in cashing in a winning lotto ticket, authorities said.

While they were talking, the second suspect — a HIspanic man who was wearing a pink shirt and blue jeans—approached the two and explained what the victim had to do to help the lottery winner.

The elderly woman agreed to help and withdrew $90,000 in cash, which she handed to the suspects, according to police.

The suspects then drove the victim back to her house and asked her to produce a utility bill to prove that it was her residence. When the victim exited her house with the paperwork, the suspects fled.