Trader duped into buying fake 'winning' lotto ticket

MABALACAT, Pampanga, Philippines – A 53-year-old woman who introduced herself as a school principal is now in jail on estafa charges after selling to a businessman what she claimed to be a “winning” lotto ticket whose P150,000 prize supposedly remained unclaimed.

The ploy worked on businessman Elmer de Guzman, 42, who was lured into buying the fake lotto ticket for P15,000 from suspect Grace Enriquez in Barangay Dau here last Monday.

PO2 Robert Lurzano of the Dau police told The STAR that Enriquez claimed to be a school principal in Porac town, although this could not be confirmed immediately.   

Lurzano said De Guzman, a retail businessman, was approached by Enriquez to ask where the nearest lotto outlet was.

“The suspect told De Guzman her lotto ticket won P150,000 but that she was in a hurry for a personal emergency and might not be able to claim the prize herself,” Lurzano said.

Enriquez then offered to sell De Guzman the ticket for only P15,000. Attracted by the deal, De Guzman gave the suspect the sum on the spot.

De Guzman then proceeded to the nearby Marina Arcade to claim the prize but was told that the ticket was fake, Lurzano said.

“It’s a ploy similar to those used by so-called budol-budol swindlers, but with lotto being hot, there seems to have been a shift in strategies by these criminals,” he said.

After learning that he was gypped, De Guzman took off with his motorcycle to search for Enriquez who he found walking toward a bus terminal not far from where they had struck the lotto deal, Lurzano said.

“De Guzman immediately held the woman and compelled her into a tricycle with him and they went to our station,” he said.

At the station, Enriquez asked to be allowed to go to the toilet where she tried to flush into the toilet bowl more fake lotto tickets.

“It was taking too long for her in the toilet and we heard more than one flushing, so we forcibly opened the door,” he said.

While Enriquez was able to flush some of the fake tickets, policemen still found in her possession at least 50 more fake lotto tickets.

Henry Abejuela, chief operations manager of the PCSO lotto department based in Angeles City, confirmed that the lotto tickets in Enriquez’s possession were fake. “They all had the same code,” he said.

Abejuela said this is the first such case reported to his office.

He warned lotto patrons to purchase tickets directly from authorized PCSO lotto outlets.

“Those who offer winning tickets are glib-tongued and convincing, but never trust them,” he said.