Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina joined Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine warning Suffolk County residents of a new scam. Multiple Suffolk County residents have already fallen victim to these scams.
During these incidents, the victims were contacted by an individual claiming to be a bank representative who convinced them their bank account was compromised. Each victim was convinced to physically turn over their bankcard and pin, which were later used to withdraw money from ATMs.
“What we have out here is scammers that are trying to invent every possible way to separate people from their money and take it for themselves,” Romaine said.
Romaine said, “Scammers can spoof a number to make it look like a legitimate company is calling. If they start asking for money or making demands, hang up and call the company directly. And guess what? Then they go to the ATM machine and steal their money. And this happened to a number of seniors.”
Catalina said, “I'm not a fan of any criminal, but these criminals who do this scam, really have a special place in my heart. These crimes are a priority to us, and we're going to make sure that we get to the bottom of who's stealing. When we find them, we are going to throw the book at them because there is no more heinous crime than stealing from a lonely, elderly, vulnerable person.”
Commissioner Catalina reviewed two incidents that have occurred.
During the first incident, a 79-year-old North Babylon resident was contacted by phone by a man who identified himself as a bank representative. He told the victim his bank account had been compromised and convinced him to turn over his card for destruction and reissuements.
An unknown male then went to the victim's home on April 29th to retrieve the card and a PIN number. A woman then used the card at an ATM in Garden City to withdraw $4,500 later that day.
On May 5th, a 58-year-old East Patrick woman received a text message inquiring about a bogus charge and provided a phone number of so-called bank fraud hotline for her to dispute the charge. She called and provided her PIN number. The operator informed her a bank rep would pick up her debit card to destroy it. A man picked up the card from her home while a different male withdrew $650 at an ATM in Bohemia short time later.
It is important to keep the following tips in mind in an effort for you to protect yourself and your bank account.
- Don’t answer unknown calls.
- Scammers can spoof a number to make it look like a legitimate company is calling. If they start asking for money or making demands, hang up and call the company directly.
- No one from a company is traveling to your home to pick up a bankcard. If someone claims your bank accounts have been compromised, hang up and call the number on the back of the card.
- Do not provide personal information, wire money or send gift cards.
- Please share this information with friends and family to help others avoid becoming a victim!