The winning ticket scam
I was walking patiently with my dog, who had been sniffing every square millimeter of the sidewalks in the neighborhood, when a young woman with an angelic face, very simple clothes and a shy air approached me to ask for directions.
- Good morning, can you tell me where Casemiro Maia Street is? I'm looking for a pharmacy that sells herbal products. I've been told it's nearby.
- Good morning. I don't know the street, nor do I know of any natural products stores around here. Why don't you Google it?
- My cell phone is dead. But I've been told that the street is nearby. I came to pick up a prize I won in a Christmas draw.
As she spoke, she looked at me with an unguarded and insistent air, as if I wasn't trying hard enough to remember the location of the street. A little sheepishly, I had to admit: "Well, that's a shame! But I don't know where this street is".
I hadn't even finished speaking and she was already approaching another passer-by. "Good morning, could you tell me where Casemiro Maia Street is?" she asked the young man who was walking past us and, turning to me, she added: "It's just that two heads always think better than one, isn't it?". He looked at us both, smiling, and replied gently, "I'm sorry. I don't know that street.
It was then that I noticed an acquaintance of mine approaching us, who was also walking his dog. Earlier, I had exchanged with him two or three of the banalities that dog owners talk about when they meet. Imbued with the spirit of a good Samaritan, this time I took the initiative and asked him if he knew where Casemiro Maia Street was. His dog took advantage of his owner's moment of hesitation to approach my dog and soon the confusion was rife. While the two of us were trying to separate the dogs, amid barking and growling, another boy came up and asked my acquaintance for information. Suddenly we were all in the middle of a tussle: two dogs, two lost people and two useless informers! The owner of the other dog quickly dismissed the boy asking for information and they both left without saying goodbye. The naive-looking girl had our complete attention again.
- I won a Singer overlock machine in a Christmas raffle promoted by the pharmacy that sells the herbal medicines taken by my diabetic mother. As we lived in the countryside, every time we came to the capital, my father took the opportunity to go to the pharmacy to buy my mother's medicine. But since my father died, I'm the one who has to go to the pharmacy. This time I want to get the sewing machine we won in the Christmas draw, but I don't know if the pharmacist will deliver it, because it took me so long to come and collect it.
- What a shame!
"But you don't know the name of the pharmacy? I can look it up for you on Google," said the young man as he took his smartphone out of his pocket. And when he saw the girl opening her purse in search of the lottery coupon, he added paternally: "Careful, don't let others see your money when you open your purse. You could get mugged!".
- Look, that's the raffle ticket.
- But this isn't a pharmacy raffle ticket! This is a Sena lottery ticket.
- Yes, I know. It's just that I went to pay an electricity bill at the lottery shop and the clerk gave me this ticket as change. The day I went to the pharmacy with my mother, I asked the pharmacist to help me check the results of the Sena draw. He then told me that I had won both draws and that, on the day I was due to collect the Overlock machine, he would pay me eight thousand reais for the Sena ticket. That way, I wouldn't have to go to the bank branch, as it's too far away. He also told me that on the day I came to collect my winnings, I should come alone, without my mother.
"Hmm, that's strange," we both said. And she added with an innocent look on her face: "Yes, I thought it was strange too, but as the man in the pharmacy was already elderly, I thought there was no danger."
- Ah, but you can't go there alone. That's too risky!
Suddenly, she rested her index finger on her lower lip and said thoughtfully: "Then I could go to the lottery to collect my Sena winnings before I go to the pharmacy to pick up my Overlock machine. You know where the nearest lottery shop is.
- I don't know, but I think you'd better go straight to the Caixa Economica agency," I said, full of common sense.
"Besides, the lottery only pays out prizes of up to R$1500. If your prize is R$8000, you won't be able to collect it. It's really best to go to Caixa. Let me take a look at your ticket to see if the prize really is R$8000," said the young man. She then handed the ticket to him, who checked the numbers on Google one by one with the results of the lottery draw. "You've really won. You've won the Quina! " and he showed me the screen of his cell phone.
- I'm sorry, I can't see because I don't have my glasses.
- She got all five numbers right and the Quina prize in this game was not R$8000.00, but R$1,5000,000.00. Look at that! And he showed me the smartphone screen again. To collect your winnings, you'll have to go to Caixa Economica Federal's central branch, which is located in the city center.
- Ah, but that's very difficult for me! Will you come with me?
"Shall we?" said the young man.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I don't have a car," I replied and started to turn around to go home.
"No problem, I have a car and I'll take you. It's in the street next door. Come with me," he replied, as they both turned and started moving in the direction he had pointed. As I stood still, just watching the two of them, the young woman insisted once again: "Please come with me. I'm afraid to go alone and get scammed. I'll give you R$50,000.00 each if you help me."
"No, thank you," I replied, "I wish you luck," and pulling my dog along, I walked quickly away towards my house. After ten steps, I turned back and saw that the girl had already left, walking in the opposite direction to me, while the boy had stood in the same place, looking frustrated as she walked away.
Surely they were both already looking for a new victim. And I, although I was surprised that there were still people who applied the winning ticket scam, went home happy because I had a new story to tell.
Voltar