Aurora Police are asking for the public's help in identifying two suspects who carried out a fake raffle scam.
A woman in Aurora lost $20,000 to the scam in November.
The incident occurred when a female suspect approached the victim in a retail business and asked for directions. The victim gave directions and later gave the suspect a ride to another business. The victim and suspect were then approached by a male suspect who began conversation with the female suspect (under the ruse they did not know each other).
The female suspect told the man she won a raffle for $10,000. The male suspect offered to call the business who sold the raffle ticket. During the phone call, the male purported that the winning ticket was actually for $1 million, but $50,000 was needed to claim the prize money.
Ultimately, the victim was able to procure over $20,000 to assist in the endeavor, believing she would share in the prize winnings.
The money was pooled together in the victim's vehicle. The victim was then told to go inside a business to get tax forms. When the victim returned, the two suspects were gone along with all the money.
Surveillance video later confirmed that the two suspects arrived to the first business together and did, in fact, know each other. Their vehicle was a newer silver Ford Explorer or similar SUV.
The two suspects and the female victim were all Spanish speaking.
If you know anything about this scam or the suspects, you should contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers.
Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP (7867) or by using the Metro Denver Crime Stoppers mobile app. All tipsters remain anonymous and are eligible for an award of up to $2,000.
The Metro Denver Crime Stoppers mobile app is immediately available as a free download on the App Store for Apple devices, on Google Play for Android devices and on the BlackBerry App World for select BlackBerry devices. To learn more about Crime Stoppers visit the website at metrodenvercrimestoppers.com.
