Report: Lotto scam is big loss for Colo. woman

AURORA, Colo. - A Colorado woman claims she was the victim of a lottery scam that began with her being approached by another woman at a supermarket in Aurora who claimed she needed help, reports CBS Denver.

The victim, identified only as "Jane," was buying groceries when she was approached by a woman speaking broken English who said she needed help collecting winnings from her lottery ticket. Before the end of the day, Jane had been scammed out of $11,000, reports the station.

The female suspect was with a man who Jane would later learn was an accomplice.

"They both looked so honest, very honest, they just needed help," Jane told the station.

Jane said the man pretended to help the woman by calling someone from the lottery to verify the numbers. He came back with instructions.

"Yes those were the numbers, this is what you have to do because you're an illegal. You can't get your green card today but you need somebody to vouch for you," the man told the woman, according to Jane.

Jane said the man agreed to help the woman, so then Jane decided to help as well. She thought the woman needed money for a transaction fee.

Jane went to several banks and gathered together $11,000, reports the station.

The man claimed they would need paperwork from an Office Depot. While he went inside, the woman asked Jane for a favor -- a bottle of water from the grocery store to quench her thirst. Jane left her money in the car with the woman.

"I came back out with the water for the three of us and she was gone and he was gone," said Jane.

That's when she realized she had been scammed, despite the woman's "genuine" demeanor.

"She would reach up and hold my hand, thanking me, she said, 'I need to get back to Argentina where my parents live,'" said Jane.

Jane said she hopes her story will help others avoid being scammed in the future.

"Be aware, be aware. Anytime anyone asks you for anything, just question it, be aware," said Jane.

Police in Aurora said they had a very similar case last month where a woman lost $3,500. They believe another case in Fort Collins might also be connected. That case involved the loss of more than $22,000.