Metro

Lottery scammers cheating mom-pop shops

Sometimes you don’t need a dollar to achieve the dream.

State Lottery officials are on the hunt for some clever crooks, who are scamming retailers and walking away with hundreds of dollars worth of instant lottery tickets and cold hard cash.

Officials are telling retailers to be on the lookout for the “rubber band bandit,” who struck 15 times last month, cheating small mom-and-pop shops in The Bronx, Queens and upper Manhattan.

The cheat walks into a deli, grocery shop or liquor store and chats up the clerk to gain his or her trust.

He then asks for a large number of scratch-off instant lottery tickets, like “Fat Wallet,” “Lucky Sevens” or “Big Bucks.”

When the clerk places the tickets on the counter, the crook asks for a rubber band, an envelope, a sandwich or anything else to distract the worker.

He then swipes the stack of fresh tickets and switches them with a stack of scratched-off tickets, with a fresh ticket on top to make it appear untouched, officials said.

He then comes up with an excuse, like claiming he left his wallet in the car and he walks out promising to return with money to purchase the tickets.

Fatema Iqbal, owner of the Twins Deli in the Parkchester section of The Bronx, said the “rubber band bandit” walked away with $800 worth of $20 scratch-off tickets when he struck at her shop last month.

“He tries to lower your guard by being very friendly. Someone you wouldn’t suspect,” she said.

“He should know how hard we work to keep this store open,” fumed Iqbal, the mother of twin 9-year-old girls. “I put in 80 to 90 hours a week.”

The state Lottery does not reimburse merchants for the theft.

Lottery officials alert vendors to the periodic scams with security alerts and photos sent through the shops’ computerized lottery terminals.

“Our goal is to protect our retailers and customers,” said spokeswoman Jennifer Givner.

Vendors have been warned to beware of another alleged scamster, Harpeet Singh, 26, a yellow cab driver who uses a similar ruse, officials said.

douglas.montero@nypost.com