Scammers in Manhattan and Brooklyn have stolen over $76,000 directly from people’s cell phones that people willingly hand over. The scam, which has affected dozens in the New York era, is presented under the guise of offering a donation to a charitable cause.
Gothamist reports that the scammer will approach the victim with a plea for donations, usually for some nonprofit organization or a school funding thing. Whatever the reason, the victim, wanting to help out in any way they can, will send money through an app like Venmo or Zelle. But then, uh oh, the scammer says they didn’t receive the payment.
How weird. This never happens.
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The scammer then offers to take a look at the victim’s phone so they can figure out the issue. At this point, you’d figure the scammer would just book it as fast as they can with the victim’s phone in hand. No, the scam is not quite as brazen as that. Instead, once in possession of the phone with the money transfer app open, the scammer transfers thousands of dollars from the victim’s account and into their own.
The NYPD reported 39 incidents of this exact scam happening between January 11 and November 19, 2024. The victim’s ages ranged between 19 and 39 and were mostly women. The victims lost anywhere between $928 to $3,500. The scams usually happen during the summer when more people are out and about, enjoying the warm weather. It’s probably harder to make a quick getaway when you’re up to your shins in fluffy snow.
The scammers usually target people in parks and courtyards, and the NYPD says that many of the scammers have been traced back to New Jersey, though they have not made public any specific details on their identities.
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