Scammers Steal Over $76K in City-Wide Phone Hijacking Scheme, Police Warn New Yorkers!
A new scam has been taking over New York City, and it’s proving to be more widespread than anyone expected. The NYPD is now calling it a city-wide crime trend, where young scammers are hijacking phones and stealing thousands of dollars from unsuspecting victims.
This crime, which has been happening throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn, has already cost people more than $76,500 in total in 2024.
The scam begins with a simple request: a person will approach someone and ask for money to help their supposed basketball team. At first, it seems like a harmless request from a struggling team looking for support. But soon, things take a dark turn.
One of the scammers will grab the victim’s phone, pretending they need personal information. While this is happening, another scammer keeps the victim distracted by talking about the basketball team.
The scammer uses this time to transfer large amounts of money from the victim’s account through apps like Zelle or Venmo.
Most of the victims targeted in these scams are under the age of 36, with many being in their 20s. These young scam artists have been successful in deceiving people in some of the city’s most well-known neighborhoods, such as South Street Seaport, Midtown East, Union Square, the Upper East Side, and Park Slope, just to name a few.
So far, four young individuals, all aged 21 or younger, have been arrested and charged with Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree for their role in these phone scams.
The authorities have identified Jakeem Scott (21) and Aviana Clark (19), who have both been arrested twice for this scam in 2024. They are joined by Jaheem Scott (21) and Tymir Black (19), who were arrested once each for similar offenses.
All four suspects are from Jersey City, New Jersey. Additionally, a 15-year-old has been arrested in connection with two separate incidents.
One of the high-profile victims of this scam was Briana Siaca, the former Miss New York USA. Siaca was sitting in Madison Square Park, recovering from dental surgery and listening to a podcast, when two teenage boys approached her.
They asked for a donation for their South Bronx basketball team. Since she didn’t have any cash on hand, she agreed to send money via Zelle and Venmo.
While one of the boys kept talking to her about the team, the other grabbed her phone and began making transfers. It wasn’t until Siaca noticed the delay and grabbed her phone back that she realized what had happened.
The scammers had sent themselves $2,000 from her account. Unfortunately, no one was arrested or charged in Siaca’s case, even though the scam was captured.
In light of these incidents, the NYPD is urging New Yorkers to be extra cautious. They advise against handing over phones to strangers, especially when asked for wire transfers for things like sports teams or school activities.
The department is working hard to raise awareness of these scams so that others don’t fall victim to the same trickery.
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