Scam targeting older Spanish speakers costs Algonquin woman $20,000, police say

A scam targeting older Spanish speakers in the suburbs lost its victims collectively more than $60,000, including one case under investigation by the Algonquin Police Department involving $20,000 in losses.

The Algonquin victim was approached on Aug. 2 by a man and a woman while shopping in a grocery store, according to a news release from the department. The pair spoke to the person in Spanish and told her they were from Nicaragua.

They claimed, according to the release, they had won the lottery but needed a citizen to claim the prize for them. During the conversation, they called a third person, who claimed to work for the lottery and verified the story with the woman.

The woman was persuaded to drive the pair to her bank in Algonquin and withdraw $20,000, which was the price to split the lottery winnings.

An investigation found that the pair had approached numerous other older people, all of whom were Spanish speakers, according to the release. They are believed to have been involved in several similar scams in the Northwest and Western suburbs, obtaining more than $60,000 from their victims.

They were described as being insistent, engaging the woman in the conversation for more than 15 minutes before persuading her to assist them, police said.

Anyone with information regarding the Algonquin case should call Detective Kory Koehler at (847) 658-4531.