Washington, DC – Baldo, the first nationally-syndicated comic strip featuring a Latino family living in the United States, has teamed up with the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) to warn readers about a growing scam that targets Latinos, especially the elderly.

The so-called “Latin Lotto Scam” has been reported throughout the United States in communities with large Hispanic populations. Con artists typically approach elderly individuals with what appears to be a winning lottery ticket. The con artists claim they can’t collect their prize because of immigration issues and ask the victim to claim it for them. As a sign of “good faith,” the victim is asked for a security deposit. Of course, once the money has been taken from the victim, the con artists disappear – leaving behind a worthless lottery ticket.

The Texas Lottery Commission says that victims in Texas have been swindled out of more than $4 million in the Latin Lotto Scam in the last five or six years, reports the Dallas Morning News.

Baldo, in an 11-day storyline running March 13 to March 24, illustrates the problem. Baldo’s great aunt, Tía Carmen, is approached by con artists. “The key to preventing this is awareness,” says Baldo co-creator Hector Cantú. “It’s upsetting when you read news stories about tías and abuelitas losing their money because all they want to do is help someone out. It’s a very insidious scam.” Cantú and co-creator Carlos Castellanos hope the comic, which is published in both English and Spanish, can reach people with the message of “cuídate” (“watch out”).

NCLR, the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States, works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans. Through its network of nearly 300 affiliated community-based organizations (CBOs), NCLR reaches millions of Hispanics each year in 41 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. Part of its mission is to protect Latino financial security and increase Hispanics’ access to financial products.

Baldo is seen in more than 200 newspapers around the nation, including The Washington Post, the Miami Herald, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Dallas Morning News, and the San Jose Mercury News. The main character of the daily strip is 15-year-old Baldo Bermudez. He is joined by his caring father Sergio, his eight-year-old sister Gracie, and his great aunt (Tía) Carmen. Sample artwork and images from the series are available from Universal Press Syndicate.

Cantú is an editor at Quick, the Dallas Morning News daily tabloid designed to reach younger readers ages 18 to 34. Castellanos is an illustrator living in West Palm Beach, Fla. In the past five years, they have used Baldo’s popularity to support several causes. In 2004, Baldo teamed up with the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project to encourage voter registration for the November presidential election. Baldo also contributed billboard art for a public awareness campaign to encourage the Dallas-Fort Worth Latino community to walk for health and the environment.

Creator(s): Hector Cantú and Carlos Castellanos (www.baldocomics.com)

If you suspect you have been the subject of the scam, please call your state lottery commission.