Two men swindle Queens senior out of $5,000 jewelry with fake lottery ticket
Police say a 69-year-old woman in Woodhaven was tricked by two men who claimed a lottery ticket was unclaimable because of their immigration status, and she handed over jewelry worth about $5,000.
In a Woodhaven neighborhood of Queens, a 69-year-old resident was approached by two men driving a gray BMW at about 10:50 a.m. The men claimed they held a winning lottery ticket but could not claim the prize because of their immigration status. Convincing her that the ticket was valuable, they persuaded her to trade jewelry estimated at $5,000 for the ticket. After securing the jewelry, the fraudsters asked her to buy pain medication at a nearby pharmacy, and when she entered the store, they fled with the items.
Police have issued images of the suspects: one wearing a white shirt, khaki pants and a newsboy cap; the other dressed in black with a black baseball cap. Authorities are asking the public to provide tips via the Crime Stoppers website or the NYPD’s tip line on X.
Why it matters
The case highlights how simple scams can exploit vulnerable seniors and the need for public vigilance.
In this story