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Suffolk County Couple's Life Savings Recovered After Stolen By Scammer

Authorities recovered hundreds of thousands of dollars that were stolen from a Long Island couple in an internet phishing scam.

Authorities recovered hundreds of thousands of dollars that were stolen from a Long Island couple in an internet phishing scam.

Authorities recovered hundreds of thousands of dollars that were stolen from a Long Island couple in an internet phishing scam.

Photo Credit: Unsplash/Vladimir Solomianyi

Investigators recovered more than $330,000 after the funds were stolen from a Suffolk County husband and wife, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney announced on Wednesday, Nov. 30.

On or about Tuesday, Sept. 20, the victims had the funds stolen from them by a scammer in Kolkata, India, who made false claims and manipulated electronic banking information to convince the couple that the money needed to be refunded after it had been erroneously deposited into their bank account, Tierney said. 

The victims deposited the funds into a crypto wallet, and the scammer locked them out of the account and used the money to buy Bitcoins, according to the report. 

The Suffolk County Police Department and the Financial Crimes Bureau of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office were ultimately able to freeze the account, resulting in the recovery of the couple's life savings, Tierney said.

“Foreign national scammers often prey upon our residents under the belief that even if their crimes are discovered, they will be beyond the reach of American law enforcement,” Tierney said. “Here, our Financial Crimes Bureau swiftly teamed up with the Suffolk County Police Department, and we were able to recover the victims’ funds within in a matter of days. I remind everyone to be cautious about this kind of predatory behavior by opportunistic swindlers.”

The DA's Office said residents should not give out personal or banking information over the phone and should contact the bank directly if someone asks for their information.

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