I can't believe people are still falling for this scam: This story is from my old area - the Bay Area .. can you imagine how this guy must be feeling after realizing he just lost this much money?

Just a reminder to NOT fall for anything that sounds too good to be true...


Sunnyvale man loses $9,000 in lottery scam

By Kimra McPherson
Mercury News

Sunnyvale police are looking for two men suspected of concocting a lottery scam to steal thousands of dollars from a Sunnyvale man.

According to police, the pair approached a 44-year-old man in the parking lot of the Costco at 150 Lawrence Station Road around 10:30 a.m. on Dec. 10. They told the man they had a winning lottery ticket but needed to put forward a deposit in order to claim their winnings, Lt. Marty Dale said.

The suspects told the man they couldn't pay the deposit because they were not legal residents of the United States and asked the man to lend them the cash, Dale said. They allegedly promised the man he would get his money back -- plus a significant cut of the jackpot.

They then drove the man to two different Sunnyvale banks, where he withdrew a total of $9,000, Dale said. Once the man withdrew the money, one of the suspects allegedly snatched the bills from his hand. One suspect then feigned a stomach ache and asked the man to buy him some medicine at a store, Dale said. When the man came back out of the store, the suspects were gone.

One of the men is described as being 28 to 32 years old, 5 feet 7 inches tall and 190 pounds. The other is described as 32 years old, 6 feet tall and 180 pounds.

The suspects fled in a large, newer, black, American-made car with a leather interior, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Sunnyvale Detective Eric Suzuki at (408) 730-7130.

The men could be connected to similar crimes in San Francisco and San Mateo County, police said.

Okay, this is one stupid story.

Am I a bad person for thinking this man is completely gullible and must be dumber than a box of rocks?

Well if you are bad person, then I must be evil incarnate! This is just the most unreal way to get stiffed out of nearly 10K!

I think greed was the driving force behind his gullibility. I just can't believe someone would fall for this - this scam has been around for years - the horrible thing is that this man probably worked his whole life and saved for his retirement.. now these thugs get the money... I do feel so badly for the poor fool.

I hope they find the crooks and get the money back.. doubt it very much though -they are on a Greyhound headed out of the country most likely..