Scammers stole more than $400,000 from a woman through an elaborate Publisher’s Clearing House sweepstakes scam: police

• Scammers reportedly tricked a woman into believing she won $3 million, then stole $400,000 from her.
• They targeted the woman because she was elderly and showing early signs of dementia, police say.
• The FTC has urged vigilance against sweepstakes scams that demand upfront payment.

Scammers in Florida tricked a woman into thinking she won $3 million, then stole $400,000 from her bank account.

Police arrested Michael Lawrence and Max Richards in connection to the scam, but were only able to recover around $40,000 of the money, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a press conference on Friday, according to Fox 13 .

Lawrence and Richards face felony charges of first-degree theft and scheme to defraud, according to court records.

Judd, 70, is known online for his boisterous press conferences where he shares information about the people that the Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrests.

During Friday’s press conference, Judd said the scammers targeted an elderly woman with early signs of dementia. They told her she won $3 million in a Publisher’s Clearing House sweepstakes, and that she needed to pay them taxes, Judd said.

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