December 28, 2005     Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
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Women pull money scam on senior couple
By Jason Goldman-Hall
Sunnyvale investigators are searching for two women who allegedly preyed on a senior couple and stole thousands of dollars.

The women approached two people in their 70s on Nov. 21 at a store in Mountain View.

According to the Department of Public Safety, the women befriended the couple and told them that they possessed a winning lottery ticket. They even placed a call to an accomplice posing as a state lottery officer to "confirm" the winning ticket.

One of the women then told the couple that she needed help because she was not a legal resident, and if the couple advanced her money for a bank deposit needed to claim the winnings, she would pay them back and give them a large amount of cash as a thank you.

The women and the couple drove to a bank in Sunnyvale where the couple gave the money to the two women and then the women disappeared.

Both suspects are described as Hispanic females. One--who police have photos of from a security camera--is 5 feet 7 inches tall, in her early 30s with shoulder length brown hair that she wore tied back in a ponytail.

The second, who went by the name "Gloria," was in her 50s, 5 feet 4 inches tall weighing approximately 160 pounds. She had a dark complexion and short brown hair with highlights.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Sunnyvale DPS Detective Kim at 408.730.7138.

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