Criminals using $20 'distraction' tactic to scam victims
Criminals using $20 'distraction' tactic to scam victims
Sarah was targeted by scammers at a Ralphs grocery store in Van Nuys, resulting in the theft of thousands of dollars from her and her daughter’s bank accounts.
LOS ANGELES - "It’s your lucky day. You’re so lucky. You’re full of luck." That’s what Sarah — who asked us to withhold her last name — says a stranger told her as she stood at the checkout counter at a Ralphs grocery store in Van Nuys.
But it wasn’t her lucky day — it was the setup for a classic $20 distraction scam. By the time it was over, thousands of dollars had vanished from both her and her daughter’s bank accounts.
On Wednesday, April 16, Sarah was shopping at the Ralphs on Saticoy Street and Louise Avenue. As she entered her PIN to pay with her debit card, a man approached her and claimed she had dropped a $20 bill.
"He came much closer to me and was kind of pushing the $20 into my wallet," Sarah recalled. "I said, ‘No, I don’t think I did.’"
She tried to brush it off, insisting the cash wasn’t hers.
"I’m like, ‘No, this is yours, this isn’t mine.’"
But the encounter didn’t end there. As she walked back to her car, the same man — now joined by a woman — followed her, still urging her to take the $20 while invading her personal space.
"I knew it wasn’t mine... the reason I was getting cash back is because I only had a couple of dollars," she said.
Feeling uneasy, Sarah checked her wallet in the car. Her cash was still there — but something far more valuable was missing.
"My heart sank because my debit card wasn’t there."
Within 30 minutes, the scammers had used her stolen card to make multiple withdrawals at a Chase Bank several miles away. Nearly $5,000 was drained — not just from Sarah’s account, but also from her daughter Jennifer’s, due to their linked accounts.
"My money is gone, and I had just gotten paid," Jennifer said. "I’m a teacher. I don’t make a lot of money. What I make goes to the things I need — and we can’t cover that right now. It’s hard to know that someone can take what you have so easily."
Jennifer filed a police report and posted about the incident online. She was stunned by the response — dozens of people shared similar stories, saying they or their loved ones had fallen victim to the same type of scam.
"It’s a huge violation," Sarah said. "I feel like I’m looking over my shoulder everywhere I go. It’s just horrible."
At this point, the suspects’ descriptions remain vague, and security footage has not yet been released. If you’ve been a victim of a similar scam or have any information related to this case, contact the LAPD.