NYPD officials have put out an alert about a suspect they say committed two acts of grand larceny ‘by means of a false promise’ when targeting women during April.
According to New York State’s Section 155.05 Larceny laws, “A person obtains property by false promise when, pursuant to a scheme to defraud, he obtains property of another by means of a representation, express or implied, that he or a third person will in the future engage in particular conduct, and when he does not intend to engage in such conduct or, as the case may be, does not believe that the third person intends to engage in such conduct.”
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The first reported incident took place at about 4 p.m. on Monday, April 22 in Staten Island, when police say the suspect “remove[d] a large amount of currency from a 73-year-old female victim by means of a false promise.”
At about 10 a.m. on Wednesday, April 24, the same suspect committed the same described act at 111th and Broadway, this time targeting a 63-year-old woman.
Following each incident, the suspect fled the locations in unknown directions.
When we asked the NYPD to elaborate on what exactly happened, they simply said the “Suspect advised the victim that her identity was stolen.” We followed up to ask for more details, like how the interactions began in the first place, but we have not gotten a response.
Pix 11 got a bit more info, stating that “the suspect contacted the victims and told them their identity had been stolen and that the money would be used to help apprehend the suspect, according to the NYPD.”
According to the outlet, police report that the victim in Staten Island lost $25,000 and that the victim on 111th and Broadway lost $36,000.
The 123rd Precinct, which oversees the section of Staten Island in which the first incident took place, also shared a post about the “elderly scam” on X / Twitter.
The S. I.Grand Larceny Sqd is trying to ID this photographed male perp. The individual picked up a large amount of cash in regard to an Elderly Scam on 4/23/24. Incident took place on Topside Ln in the confines of the 123 Pct. Any info please call DET. Reinhold at 718-876-7662. pic.twitter.com/aZHw5k6rvE
— NYPD 123rd Precinct (@NYPD123Pct) May 30, 2024
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Police describe the individual as a “male with a medium complexion and slim build,” adding that “He was last seen wearing a black jacket, black pants, and black and white sneakers.”
Anyone with relevant information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or by sending a direct message to @NYPDTips on Twitter.
