Elderly woman in San Pedro gets scammed out of thousands of dollars

SAN PEDRO, Calif. (FOX 11) - Los Angeles police say a 92-year-old woman in San Pedro was scammed out of thousands of dollars and are asking the community for help with any information that can lead to the arrest of two suspects.

LAPD Harbor Area detectives say the unidentified elderly woman had just returned home to her gated community in San Pedro from running errands on Jan. 14, 2019 at about 1 p.m. when a man and woman approached her and told her she had crashed into their car at a nearby business.

The suspects showed the woman their damaged car but the victim did not remember any crash and she did not have damage to her car, police said.

Investigators say the suspects drove the 92-year-old to the bank in her car after convincing her to pay a cash settlement to "fix" the damage. At the bank, the victim took out several thousand dollars in cash and gave it to the male suspect.

Authorities released video surveillance from the bank during the transaction hoping the community can help identify the suspect.

The suspect in the video is described as a heavy-set man between 40-50 years old. There is no suspect description for the female suspect.

Police say the suspects drove the victim home after the bank exchange and tried convincing the victim to let them into her home, which she refused. The 92-year-old contacted authorities soon after.

Anyone with information on this case is urged to call Harbor detectives at 310-726-7850. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.