Police seek scam artists who bilked two city residents

BY CHRISTINE VARNO
Staff Writer

BY CHRISTINE VARNO

Staff Writer

LONG BRANCH — In two separate incidents last week two city residents reported falling victim to similar con-artist scams.

Police officer Robert Korn took the report from a 21-year-old female who communicated through a Spanish-speaking interpreter that she was cheated out of $1,000.

Police officer Brendan Cahill took an almost identical report from a 24-year-old male who said he was cheated out of $1,500.

The female victim said that on Feb. 17 at 2 p.m., she was leaving the Snow White Laundromat and heading for her residence. When she reached the corner of Morrell Street, she was approached by a Spanish-speaking female.

She was asked if she knew any lawyers in the area because the accused female had a winning lottery ticket and could not cash it herself.

During the conversation, a tan, four-door, mid-sized Chrysler pulled up and a Hispanic male driver began speaking to the accused.

Both subjects told the victim that if she put up $1,000, she would receive $2,000 after the ticket was cashed. Upon receiving the money, both the accused sped off heading West on Morrell Street.

Again, on Feb. 18 at approximately 3 p.m., two men approached the male victim at the Snow White Laundromat and spoke to him in Spanish, stating that they had won the New Jersey Mega-Millions jackpot.

The accused said they could not cash the ticket due to insufficient funds in their bank accounts, but promised $10,000 in return for putting up $1,500.

The victim went with the two men in a green GMC SUV to his home where he gave the two accused men the money.

On the way to cash the ticket together, the men stopped at a homestead pharmacy and convinced the victim to retrieve a prescription for one of the men.

When he entered the pharmacy, the car sped off.

The four accused were described as;

White, 5-foot-5 female, approximately 23 years old with long black hair, wearing blue pants and a blue jacket.

Male, possibly Costa Rican, approximately 27 years old, short blond hair, wearing a black leather jacket and blue pants.

The two other men were both believed to have been of Guatemalan descent, about 5-foot-5, one wearing a black coat and the other wearing a hat.

The Long Branch Police Department said they have seen several different versions of this scam over the years.

They said in all cases, the accused and the victims were Spanish-speaking. The police department warns that no one should turn over large sums of money to subjects who promise large returns for "good faith" investments.

Anyone with any information on either incident is asked to call Detective Juan H. Vasquez at the Detective Bureau at 732-571-5695.