Woman scammed with phony lottery win

YOUNGSTOWN — Police said an 85-year-old North Side woman was scammed out of more than $4,600 after getting a phony notice that she had won second place in a lottery.

The victim told police that she received a letter containing a check for $4,800 from an address in El Segundo, Calif., giving her a name and telephone number to contact for further information. She said she called the number and spoke to a man who directed her to cash the check and then wire $4,000 to a person in Hayward, Calif., and $500 to a person in Crystal River, FL.

The victim said she went to a store to do that on Saturday, but a clerk in the store refused to send the wires, suspecting something was amiss.

The victim said she went home and the man she had called telephoned her back, instructing her to go to another store to wire the money. She did so, she said, noting that the fees added $162 to her cost. She said the man called her again and asked for more money so she went to her bank to withdraw another $2,000 but was told the $4,800 check she had deposited had bounced.