MIAMI (WSVN) - An elderly woman is speaking out after, she said, two crooks conned her out of thousands of dollars.
“What liars they are. They must not have a mother or grandmother to do something like this,” said 86-year-old Ana Del Rio as she spoke to 7News through a translator.
Del Rio shared exactly what she thinks of the thieves who conned her out of $17,000. “It affected me a lot. I have nightmares about it,” she said.
According to City of Miami Police, it all started at a Big Lots on Southwest 27th Avenue and Coral Way, Oct. 23.
That afternoon, investigators said, Del Rio was coming out of the store when a man and woman who pretended to be strangers made their move.
It was an elaborate plot. The man had a winning lottery ticket, but he couldn’t cash it because he was undocumented and said he would give them a piece of the prize.
The woman suggested they all help him, but put up some of their own money to show good faith.
Del Rio said, “OK, good!”
The con artists then got in Del Rio’s car and went to her home so she could get the cash.
Del Rio’s son didn’t want to show his face, but his anger was still visible. “I was in total shock,” he said.
While Del Rio grabbed $2,000 in cash from inside her home, police said, the crooks swiped four of her son’s pricey watches.
“And the fact that they invaded our space is even worse,” he said.
It didn’t end there. The woman told Del Rio they needed more and asked her, “Do you have any money in the bank?”
Police released security footage of Del Rio going into a Bank of America to withdraw $15,000.
Moments after she handed over the cash, the thieves took off, and she didn’t have the heart to tell her son until the next day.
“But I believed them,” she said. “I fell into their trap.”
The crooks may have thought they had made a clean getaway with the cash, but those same security cameras captured the duo in the act.
“Have a little more heart,” was all Del Rio had to say to the crafty crooks.
She said she’s thankful they didn’t hurt her.
While police work to track them down, Del Rio said she hopes the duo that swindled her out of thousands of dollars find an honest profession.
“They’re young, and they could work if they wanted to,” she said.
If you have any information on this theft, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $1,000 reward.
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