Jamaican Lottery Scam Victim Waiting for Full Restitution

As of now, Edna has only received three checks totaling $287.

HARVEY, N.D. – A 90-year-old woman who was scammed out of her life savings by a Jamaican lottery scam wants all of her $400,000 back.

Edna Schmeets, of Harvey, was the victim whose case launched what became the first large-scale Jamaican lottery scam case prosecuted in the U.S.

All 31 defendants have been prosecuted, including 14 Jamaican nationals who were extradited from the country. Authorities identified victims of the scam in 31 states, with more than 100 elderly Americans bilked out of a total of more than $6 million.

Schmeets says she is “so disappointed” because she has only received three checks totaling $287. She says she was told that another check for $138 is pending.

Federal prosecutors have pledged to get at least some of the victims’ money back. But the National Center for Victims of Crime says many crime victims wait years before receiving any money and that they may never get the full amount they are owed.