Suffolk County Police today recovered thousands of dollars that was taken from an elderly man in a scam earlier this week.
An 89-year-old Melville man called a number he found on the internet to help him with problems with a computer password on August 7 at approximately 1:30 p.m. The person on the phone convinced him that his bank accounts had been hacked and that he needed to remove his money from the bank. The victim was instructed to lie about the reason for withdrawing his money and was told that the bank officials were involved in the theft.
The victim went to two different Bank of America branches and removed $28,000 from one and $21,000 from another. As instructed, each time he withdrew the money, he informed bank officials that he was buying a car.
Upon arriving home, a man came to his residence on foot and asked for the money. After taking photos of the man, the victim handed him two envelopes containing the cash.
Following an investigation by the Financial Crimes Unit, detectives were able to identify the man who took the envelopes, a resident of Flushing, Queens. After detectives spoke with him, he turned himself in at the Third Precinct, along with all of the proceeds, on August 9 at approximately 7 p.m. The money was invoiced and will be returned to the victim. No charges have been filed, and the investigation is continuing.
Anyone who believes they are a victim of this scam should contact Financial Crimes at 631-852-6821 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.