Police and state officials are asking for the public’s help in identifying a man suspected of selling lottery tickets altered to look like winning tickets to unsuspecting people.
The Gaming Division of the Department of Consumer Protection said a person or persons in the Bridgeport and Norwalk areas have been “selling instant lottery tickets that have been altered to appear to be winning tickets, when in fact they are losing tickets and have no value.”
“We have already received several complaints from victims who bought these tickets for between $500 and $2,000, believing that they could cash them in for the winning prize of $20,000,” Consumer Protection Commissioner William M. Rubenstein said.
In a press release, investigators said the scam starts when the suspect would approach an unsuspecting person and tell them they could cash in the supposed winning ticket for a portion of the winnings because the suspect was unable to cash the ticket in for some reason. In return, the victim would hand over cash the to suspect as a deposit. The suspect would take off with the cash and the victim would be left holding a worthless ticket.
Police released a photo of the suspect, and are asking for the public’s help. People with information can call Investigator James Jepsen at 860-713-6286
