The New York City Police Department is warning the public to beware of a type of scam where individuals pretend to have their identity stolen, then trick them out of their money. The suspects first contact the victims, informing them that their identity has been stolen, gaining their trust, and then requesting money to help catch the criminals behind the identity theft. This ultimately leads to the victims being tricked out of their money. This type of scam typically convinces the victims that their money will be used to assist the police in apprehending the criminals, but in reality, the money ends up in the hands of the scammers.
According to information released by the New York City Police Department’s Public Information Office (DCPI), incidents of this scam occurred at the 26th precinct in Upper West Side, Manhattan, and the 123rd precinct on Staten Island.
On or around April 22nd, at approximately 4 pm, near 60 Topside Lane on Staten Island, a man deceived a 73-year-old woman through false promises and fled the scene with a large sum of cash. Additionally, on April 24th, around 10 am, near the intersection of 111th Street and Broadway in Upper West Side, Manhattan, the same man similarly tricked a 63-year-old woman out of a substantial amount of cash. PIX11 reported that the total losses for the two women amounted to $61,000 in cash.
The suspect is described by the police as a male with medium skin color, slim build, wearing a black jacket, black pants, and black and white sneakers at the time of the incidents.
Anyone with information is urged to call the New York City Police Department’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-8477 or submit tips on the Crime Stoppers website: [https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/](https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/). Tips can also be submitted on the NYPD’s platform account @NYPDTips. All calls will be kept strictly confidential.