Roseville 7-Eleven clerk accused in scam

A 40-year old convenience store clerk was booked into the Placer County Jail this week after police said she schemed to keep a customer's lottery winnings - totaling $550,000 - to herself.Rajinder Kaur, an employee at the 7-Eleven at 1900 Douglas Blvd. in Roseville, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of grand theft, police said.She was released on $50,000 bail.Police said the customer, who had chosen all five Mega Millions numbers for that lottery contest, entered the store and asked Kaur how much he had won, unaware of the extent of his winnings. After running the ticket through a scanning machine, the clerk allegedly told him his prize was $4.Lottery officials were tipped off to the alleged crime by the customer, who heard through news reports a winning lottery ticket purchased at the location had gone unclaimed, according to a California Lottery press release.California Lottery police officers immediately opened an investigation and visited the location, assisted by the Roseville Police Depar-tment, officials said.Evidence gathered during the course of the inquiry led to Kaur's arrest, they said, just hours after the initial complaint."The California Lottery takes the integrity of our operations, our players' confidence and the security of our games very seriously," Lottery Director Joan Borucki said. "I am proud of the swift and thorough nature of this investigation and thankful for the assistance of all the parties involved in this case. We look forward to finalizing this investigation and verifying the identity of the rightful owner of this winning ticket." In a press release, Lottery officials said they would work with the complainant, retailer 7-Eleven and law enforcement agencies to finalize the investigation and thoroughly validate the owner of the winning ticket. "We look forward to reuniting this ticket with its rightful owner so they may claim their prize of $555,152," the release states. The California Lottery encourages players to sign the back of their tickets as soon as they purchase them to ensure ticket safety. Signing tickets allows Lottery officials to verify the ticket's owner quickly. If the ticket is altered in any way after being signed, an investigation is immediately launched so the rightful owner can be identified.If a Lottery players believe they have won a prize in excess of $599, they should immediately contact the California Lottery at 1-800-LOTTERY or visit their local California Lottery District Office.