A 79-year-old woman in Ridge lost $4,200 after a caller posing as a TD Bank employee convinced her to hand over her debit card to a stranger who showed up at her home. Suffolk County police are now searching for the man who arrived there; he was in a black Nissan Maxima. About $4,200 was later withdrawn from a nearby ATM.
According to News 12 New York, the scheme began with a phone call to the victim from someone claiming to work for TD Bank, who told her that fraudulent activity had been detected on her account. The caller instructed her to turn over her debit card, and soon after, a man arrived at her Ridge home and told her he would track down the alleged fraud and make sure she received a new card. Instead, he took her card and left.
Roughly $4,200 was withdrawn from the woman's account at a TD Bank ATM in Shirley, the outlet reports. The withdrawal prompted her to call 911. The Suffolk County Police Department's Financial Crimes Unit has since taken up the investigation into the man's involvement, per police.
In-Person Collection in Other Cases
Similar in-person collection of bank cards or gold has occurred in other fraud cases.
Ridge sits in the Town of Brookhaven in eastern Suffolk County, while the fraudulent withdrawal took place in Shirley, according to The Suffolk County News.
Why Scammers Are Sending Drivers Instead of Making Wire Transfers
The FBI has warned that scammers may send couriers to victims' homes to collect cash or gold.
The tactic has surfaced elsewhere on Long Island and beyond. On September 11, a Queens man was charged as a courier who allegedly traveled to retrieve stolen checks in a $670,000 elder fraud scheme, a case Hoodline previously reported.
People aged 60 and older lost more than $4.43 billion to cryptocurrency schemes.
Under New York Penal Law § 155.30, stealing a debit card regardless of its value constitutes Fourth-Degree Grand Larceny, a Class E felony carrying a penalty of up to four years in prison, according to the Law Offices of Jason Bassett.
How to Report a Tip
Anyone with information about the man or the black Nissan Maxima is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for information leading to an arrest, and calls placed through its hotline or the P3 Tips app remain anonymous.
