Police in suburban Waukegan are investigating a spiritual healing scam that defrauded several people out of a total of more than $40,000 since May.
A woman who went by the name of Sra Rosario claimed to be a spiritual healer, police said, and took out a newspaper ad advertising spiritual advice.
The victims told police they met with Sra Rosario at a home in the 00 block of Washington Park. The suspect promised to ensure good “spiritual health” or provide a “healing process” for the victims or a member of the victim’s family if they gave her thousands of dollars in cash that she would pray over.
Once at the home the victims provided a cash deposit ranging from $1,800 to $6,000 to Sra Rosario to secure her services. The suspect would guarantee some type of ritualistic prayer for the victims, police said.
She told them to then return to the apartment at a future date to retrieve their money. When victims returned to the home on Sept. 7, they found the residence empty and Sra Rosario gone.
A similar scam was reported this summer in Aurora.
The woman is described as a Hispanic female in her late 20s, standing 5-foot-2, weighing about 130-135 pounds with dark curly hair. Police said Sra Rosario is targeting victims of Hispanic descent.
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