Three people have been arrested in connection with a lottery scam that tricked a 72-year-old Fontana woman into handing over $20,000, authorities said.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office (SBSD) reported that the scam took place on Thursday, Feb. 20, when the victim was approached by two women while shopping in Montclair.
How the Scam Unfolded
Initial Contact:
- The two female suspects convinced the victim that they had won a lottery jackpot but needed her help to collect the winnings.
- The victim, believing the story, agreed to help.
Trip to the Bank & Home:
- The suspects directed the woman to drive them to her bank while they were followed by additional accomplices in a white 2016 Kia Sorrento.
- At the bank, the victim withdrew $18,000 from her account.
- She then mentioned she had an additional $2,000 at home in Fontana, so the suspects convinced her to drive them there and hand over the remaining money.
Fake Winnings:
- Before the two female suspects were picked up by their accomplices in the white Kia Sorrento, they handed the victim a package and told her it contained her portion of the lottery winnings.
- When she opened the package, she found it was filled with cut-up newspapers—realizing she had been scammed.
Police Investigation & Arrests
- Detectives quickly launched an investigation, determining that the woman was targeted due to her age.
- Fullerton police located the suspects’ vehicle in Fullerton, leading to the arrest of three individuals:
Suspects Arrested
- Rosalba Bernal-Sanchez, 60
- Jairo Naranjo-Lopez, 58
- Kevin Prieto-Bernal, 21 (has a felony warrant for burglary in Illinois and is on felony probation for burglary in Minnesota)
The victim positively identified Bernal-Sanchez as one of the two women who originally approached her.
Investigators also recovered a large amount of physical evidence linking the suspects to the scam.
All three suspects were booked at the West Valley Detention Center and are currently being held without bail.
Ongoing Investigation & Possible Additional Victims
- Authorities are still searching for the second female suspect involved in the scam.
- Investigators believe there may be more victims who were targeted by this group.
Anyone with information is urged to contact detectives at (909) 356-6710.
