3 Arrested In IE $20K Lottery Scam Targeting Elderly Woman

MONTCLAIR, CA — Three Columbian nationals were arrested this week after they were accused of scamming an elderly woman out of $20,000 in a lottery scheme.

Rosalba Bernal-Sanchez, 60; Jairo Naranjo-Lopez, 58, and 21-year-old Kevin Prieto-Bernal — all citizens of Columbia — were taken into custody in connection with the incident, which was reported last week, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said in a statement on Wednesday.

On Feb. 20, a 72-year-old woman was approached by two women while shopping in Montclair in San Bernardino County. The women reportedly convinced the older woman that they had recently won a lottery jackpot and needed help collecting the money.

The victim was convinced to drive the two suspects to her bank while she was followed in a 2016 Kia Sorrento. When they got to the bank, the older woman withdrew $18,000 in cash and told the suspects she had an additional $2,000 at her home in Fontana.

The two suspects then had the woman drive them to her home, where she gave them the money.

Just before the two suspects were picked up in the white Kia Sorrento, they handed the woman a package and told her it contained her portion of the lottery winnings. But when she opened the package, she found that it had been filled with cut up newspapers.

After she called law enforcement, the Fontana Sheriff's Station deputy A. Saraghi was sent to the woman's home, where she collected information about the suspects and the Kia, according to the department.

The vehicle was spotted in Fullerton, where deputies took three suspects into custody, officials said.

Bernal-Sanchez was identified by the victim as one of the two women that scammed her and detectives found a large amount of physical evidence that linked all suspects in the car to the investigation, according to police.

Prieto-Bernal also had a felony warrant for burglary in Illinois and is on felony probation for burglary in Minnesota, the department said.

Detectives are still working to find the second woman who scammed the woman. Detectives also believe there are more victims and has released photos of the suspects and their vehicle (seen above).

Anyone with information about this case or who believes they have been victimized by these suspects is urged to call the Fontana Sheriff's Station at 909-356-6710. To remain anonymous, contact We-Tip at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463) or visit wetip.com.