Thread: Waukegan woman victimized by Hispanic pair in Gurnee

$6,000 lottery scam
Waukegan woman victimized by Hispanic pair in Gurnee

August 16, 2007
NEWS-SUN STAFF REPORT
Gurnee police are looking for information about a Hispanic pair they say scammed a woman on the village's east side out of thousands of dollars.

A 57-year-old Waukegan woman became victim to a lottery scam late last week, when she was approached by two individuals in a business parking lot.

The two suspects, a male who claimed to be from Ecuador and a female from Argentina, told the woman that the man had just won the lottery. The man said because he was an illegal immigrant he could not claim the prize, but they'd be willing to offer her a cut if she helped them and gave them some cash, said Tom Agos, a crime prevention technician with the Gurnee Police Department.

The female offender then called a phone number that supposedly confirmed the winning numbers in Spanish. The victim then agreed to help and went to a bank, where she withdrew $6,000 in cash. When she returned, she gave the offenders the cash. They then showed her an envelope full of cash, which they claimed contained $21,000, Agos said

Later they then asked her to go into a pharmacy outside of Gurnee to pick up some medicine for the man, who was sick. When she returned, the pair was gone with her money.

The scam itself isn't rare, Agos said. The large amount of money the woman gave the two is somewhat unusual, however.

Agos said many times the victim parts with a few hundred dollars, though much larger amounts do occur.

The con took place only on Friday. The woman met the two and they quickly gained her trust, Agos said.

"People generally want to be helpful to people, and particularly people of their own ethnicity or race," Agos said. "The combination of being polite (and) wanting to be helpful, coupled with smooth operation that these people have refined in their scams creates a recipe for disaster."

Agos said police suspect there may be other victims or attempted victims in the area.

The male suspect is described as a Hispanic in his mid-30s about 6 feet tall, with a thin build. He was last seen wearing a blue and white checked shirt, black pants and black sneakers.

The female is described as heavyset Hispanic, around 50 years old. She is five-foot six-inches, with blonde hair. She was last seen wearing a bright green top, with black pants, brown sandals, and numerous gold bracelets.

Suspects were only seen on foot, therefore no vehicle description is available.

Any persons having information are asked to please contact Gurnee police Cmdr. Jim Caldwell at (847) 599-7000.

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/news ... S1.article

We have our own criminals we don't need criminals from other countries who when caught blame it on americans. Since we are unable to determine the illegals whose crime was crossing the border from the illegals who have committed hard core crimes we need to deport all of them. We need to protect America and Americans first and foremost.