Drivers in the Upstate are watching their backs, after learning about an unusual crime spree taking place.
The Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office is warning of a group of men who have robbed people at a local convenience store by tricking them with a story about lottery winnings.
The first incident happened last Thursday at the Hot Spot on Highway 292 in Inman, just off I-26. A 43-year old truck driver was approached by a stranger who told him his friend had just won $169,000 on a scratch-off ticket. A second man then showed the truck driver a thick wad of bills. Two other men joined the group and pulled out a deck of cards. They talked the victim into putting up $240 to play a game of cards. The victim tells deputies he won the game and asked the men for his money, but one of the men snatched the cash from his hands and took off. The victim called the sheriff's office but deputies could not locate the men.
The next day, a 66-year old man reported a similar crime at the same store. He says a man approached him in the parking lot and told him his friend had just won $100,000 on a scratch-off. The stranger convinced the victim to congratulate his friend by shaking his hand. But when the victim took his hand, the man punched him in the face and several other men ganged up on him, taking his $35,000 Rolex watch and a Shriner's ring valued at $2,500. The men then jumped into a red Ford van and a silver sedan and drove toward the interstate.
The victim yelled that he was being robbed and two Hot Spot employees came out in time to get the vehicles' tag numbers. The sheriff's office says both vehicles had Ohio license plates, numbers "ECC2920" and "EMU-9536."
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