Miami Beach Police have cuffed a man accused of tricking people into handing over their phones to transfer money to himself, and now one of his alleged victims is warning others about her experience, WSVN reported.
The scam, unraveling on a seemingly carefree beach day in December, began innocently for one woman and her companion, the victim, preferring to remain nameless, recounted memories to 7News just before her smile turned to distress when she ran into the suspect who claimed he was a musician looking to boost his Instagram following—she agreed to support him by following his account, handing over her phone so he could set her up, unaware of the plot that was about to unfold.
"It was less than an hour when I saw an email that said I had $1,200, through Venmo, [sent] to this stranger," the victim told KTVZ. By then, the man—and the money—had vanished, leaving the woman to realize she'd been duped and prompting a swift police response.
The swindler, identified as James Plitsas, argued to have charmed multiple victims across Miami Beach, has been nabbed by police, who've been battling the tide of similar scams by releasing informative videos describing the modus operandi of these scammers who promise club perks or use other enticing stories to gain access to personal phones and quickly transfer funds to themselves, the same victim provided a screenshot showing a cash transfer and a gift emoji sent to Plitsas' Venmo account which was a telltale sign of his game.
Miami Beach Police, determined to stop the ruse, "through a meticulous operation and the strategic utilization of social media," were able to clap the cuffs on Plitsas, a police spokesperson explained in a statement—a sentiment echoed by the victim who advocated for personal vigilance, "Listen to your gut instinct, and never hand a stranger your phone," she advised in the WSVN interview.
