Last month, a criminal falsely claimed that the bank account of an elderly woman in the Great Kills community of Staten Island was hacked, defrauding her of over $15,000. On Tuesday (the 18th), the police released the suspect’s photo, reminding the public to beware of similar fraud schemes and urging them to provide any leads to solve the case.
According to information released by the Public Information Office of the New York City Police Department (DCPI), the incident occurred within the jurisdiction of the NYPD’s 122nd Precinct. Around 3:07 pm on Monday, May 20th, a 77-year-old woman received a call from someone pretending to be a representative from Chase Bank, informing her that her bank account had been hacked and money was needed to repair it.
Shortly after, a female suspect took a taxi to the victim’s home, where she collected approximately $15,500 from the 77-year-old woman, then fled northbound on Lindenwood Road in the taxi. The victim did not suffer any physical harm during the incident.
The suspect was described by the police as a light-skinned, robust woman wearing glasses, with her hair tied in a ponytail and wearing a medical mask. At the time of the crime, she was dressed in a black sports shirt with gold lettering and black jeans.
Anyone with information is urged to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-8477 or submit tips on the Crime Stoppers website: https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/ via the NYPD Tips platform @NYPDTips. All calls will be kept strictly confidential.