A Ventura County man is accused of operating a nationwide telephone sweepstakes scam which cheated elderly victims out of more than $170,000. The son of a North Carolina man notified Oxnard Police in October that something suspicious was taking police. He told detectives that his father had been notified that he’d won a sweepstakes, but had to send money to receive his winnings.
Investigators launched an investigation, and say they determined that Dennis Dean Varadin of Oxnard scammed at least 10 elderly victims.
They say the 65 year old man was arrested on a money laundering charge.