Police: Whittier woman's story of kidnapping, robbery was false

WHITTIER -- A Whittier woman was not kidnapped and robbed, as she first reported, but rather was the victim of a scam, officials said Wednesday.
A 61-year-old woman initially told police she was walking in the 13100 block of Lambert road about 4 p.m. Tuesday when she was tricked into getting into a van with to women, Whittier police Lt. Mike Przybyl said.
The woman claimed her captors then drove her to bank branches in Whittier and Commerce, where they forced her to withdraw around $30,000, officials said.
Upon further investigation, detectives determined that the woman had not been kidnapped and robbed, but instead had fallen victim to a lottery scam.
The women told the victim they had a winning lottery ticket, but they could not claim it because they were not legal residents, Lt. Bryan Ellis said.
The woman withdrew her money from the bank to pay the women for the ticket before realizing she'd been conned, he added. Apparently, the woman concocted the tail of kidnapping and robbery out of embarrassment and panic.
The suspects were described as Latinas. One is 5 feet tall, while the other stood 5-feet-8-inches tall and weighs about 140 pounds.

Statement from Whittier Police Department:

"After a thorough interview with the victim this (Wednesday) afternoon, it became apparent to the detectives she fabricated the story to cover up the embarrassing loss of $30,000 in a lottery scam.  The victim admitted to making up the story to recover her money.  The money is still outstanding and the investigation is continuing into the possible lottery scam."