A woman in Queens was scammed out of $5,000 in jewelry by two men who claimed they couldn’t cash in a lottery jackpot due to their immigration status, police reported. The men offered to exchange their “winning” ticket for her valuables.
According to the police, the 69-year-old woman was approached by the two con artists in a gray BMW at approximately 10:50 a.m. outside 86-75 78 St. in Woodhaven.Â
The fraudsters exited the vehicle and told the woman they possessed a winning lottery ticket but were unable to claim the prize due to their immigration status, police added.Â
It remains unclear how much the men claimed the jackpot was worth.
The scammers persuaded the woman to trade her jewelry, valued at approximately $5,000, for the lottery ticket, according to authorities.Â
After obtaining the woman’s jewelry under false pretenses, the thieves further asked her to purchase pain medication for them at a nearby pharmacy, authorities said.
Once the woman entered the store to buy the medication, the pair disappeared with her jewelry, police reported.Â
The authorities have released images of the suspects: one wearing a white shirt, khaki pants, and a newsboy cap, and the other dressed entirely in black, including a black baseball cap.
Those with information about this incident are urged to submit tips through the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, or on X @NYPDTips.
