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Police & Fire
Police In Westchester Issue Alert For Friend/Family Member Scam Police In Westchester Issue Alert For Friend/Family Member Scam
Police In Westchester Issue Alert For Friend/Family Member Scam Police are warning area residents to be wary of opportunistic scammers that have been committing fraud by claiming faux emergency situations involving family members. The New Castle Police Department in Northern Westchester issued an alert this week following several investigations into complaints of fraud, where residents were contacted through phone or email regarding an emergency with a friend or family member. According to police, the scammers fabricate a false narrative that includes accurate information with names and locations of friends and family. The fraudsters may also speak…

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by Zak Failla
News
Alert Issued For Fraudsters Posing As Con Ed Employees In Westchester Alert Issued For Fraudsters Posing As Con Ed Employees In Westchester
Alert Issued For Fraudsters Posing As Con Ed Employees In Westchester Although the holiday season may be over, police in Westchester are warning local residents to be wary as opportunistic fraudsters have been making the rounds posing as Con Edison employees. The Eastchester Police Department issued an alert this week cautioning that scammers have been pretending to be Con Ed employees, utilizing a myriad of scams to take advantage of area customers. Investigators said that the latest scam involves smart meters, which were introduced to New York in 2017. Police said that customers should be aware that Con Edison does not require a deposit for the installatio…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Westchester Man Posing As Lawyer Stole $3.5K From Victim, Police Say Westchester Man Posing As Lawyer Stole $3.5K From Victim, Police Say
Westchester Man Posing As Lawyer Stole $3.5K From Victim, Police Say A 51-year-old man is behind bars after state police say he stole thousands of dollars from a victim by posing as an attorney. State Police from the Somers barracks arrested David Koraca of Somers on Friday, Jan. 18 after an Investigation found he fraudulently posed as a criminal defense lawyer and stole more than $3,500 from the victim, according to police. He was charged with third-degree grand larceny, a Class D felony. Koraca was arraigned before the town of Somers Court, and remanded to the Westchester County Jail in lieu of $50,000 cash bail or secure bond. Koraca is next schedul…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Don't Fall For It: This Social Security Number Scam Has Cost 35K Victims $10 Million, FTC Says Don't Fall For It: This Social Security Number Scam Has Cost 35K Victims $10 Million, FTC Says
Don't Fall For It: This Social Security Number Scam Has Cost 35K Victims $10 Million, FTC Says A consumer alert has been issued about a new phone scam that has already cost tens of thousands of victims millions. Imposters pretending to be from the Social Security Administration call victims and tell a fake story about their Social Security number being compromised in an attempt to obtain personal information, according to the Federal Trade Commission.  In 2018, the scam cost 35,000 victims $10 million. “To compare: in 2017, we heard from 3,200 people about SSA imposter scams, and those people reported losing nearly $210,000,” the FTC said in a statement. Th…

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by Joe Lombardi
Police & Fire
Westchester Duo Among Four Nabbed In Fraud Scheme At Bank In Greenwich, Police Say Westchester Duo Among Four Nabbed In Fraud Scheme At Bank In Greenwich, Police Say
Westchester Duo Among Four Nabbed In Fraud Scheme At Bank In Greenwich, Police Say A man and woman from Westchester were among four nabbed in a scheme to cash a fraudulent check at a Greenwich bank, according to police. The incident took place around 4:29 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 13, when Makeeba Mercedes Bell, 28, of Ardsley, walked into the Chase Bank on Greenwich Avenue and attempted to cash a fraudulent check, Greenwich Police said. Bell, who was wearing a green hoodie and black sweatpants, walked towards the rear of the bank parking lot where arriving Greenwich officers saw her getting into a Honda Civic parked in the handicapped spot, police said. Officers app…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Financial Adviser Admits To Stealing $11.5M From Clients Financial Adviser Admits To Stealing $11.5M From Clients
Financial Adviser Admits To Stealing $11.5M From Clients Hector May, a prominent investment adviser, has pleaded guilty to federal charges to participating in a conspiracy to defraud clients in the area out of more than $11 million. May, 77, of Orangeburg in Rockland County,  the president of Executive Compensation Planners in New York City, admitted stealing the money with the help of an unindicted co-conspirator, said Geoffrey S. Berman, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced on Thursday. He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud before U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith C. McCarthy in…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Psychic From Scarsdale Accused Of Scamming Woman Of Her Life Savings Psychic From Scarsdale Accused Of Scamming Woman Of Her Life Savings
Psychic From Scarsdale Accused Of Scamming Woman Of Her Life Savings A fortune teller with customers from throughout Westchester and Fairfield has been charged for allegedly bilking a Bedford Hills woman out of her life savings by convincing her that she had been cursed in a past life as a "great" Egyptian miracle worker. After receiving and investigating a complaint from the woman, Bedford Police detectives arrested 44-year-old Janet Lee of Scarsdale, also known as "the Bedford Psychic" and the "Greenwich Psychic."  She was charged with third-degree grand larceny, a Class D felony. She was subsequently arraigned and released on her&…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Here's When Bottini Fuel Fraud Victims Can Expect Refunds Here's When Bottini Fuel Fraud Victims Can Expect Refunds
Here's When Bottini Fuel Fraud Victims Can Expect Refunds For the thousands of customers who may have been defrauded by Bottini Fuel, refunds will soon be on the way.The Wappingers Falls-based heating oil delivery company stole more than 1.7 million from customers by keeping overpayments and duplicate payments over a 12 year period, according to the New York State Attorney General's Office.  Now, the company has to repay more than $3.2 million in penalties and restitution as part of an agreement with the government. According to the AG's office, Hudson Valley homeowners and businesses are owed $1,171,884 in refunds, and government entiti…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Company Must Pay $3.2M For Defrauding Customers In Hudson Valley, State AG Says Company Must Pay $3.2M For Defrauding Customers In Hudson Valley, State AG Says
Company Must Pay $3.2M For Defrauding Customers In Hudson Valley, State AG Says A fuel and heating company defrauded a wide range of customers, including homeowners, school districts and local governments in the Hudson Valley of more than $1.7 million of overpayments and duplicate payments, the New York Attorney General's Office announced. Wappingers Falls-based Morgan Fuel & Heating Company, Inc., which conducts business as Bottini Fuel, must now pay more than $3.2 million in criminal restitution and civil damages following a criminal conviction, Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood and State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli said. The conviction was for falsif…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Seven Members Of $3.1 Million Stolen Luxury Car Ring Charged In Westchester Seven Members Of $3.1 Million Stolen Luxury Car Ring Charged In Westchester
Seven Members Of $3.1 Million Stolen Luxury Car Ring Charged In Westchester Seven members of a multi-million dollar national stolen automobile ring are facing time behind bars after being charged in White Plains Federal Court for their roles in the operation in New York and Connecticut. Beginning in October last year, Marvin Williams, Nicholas Dixon, Jason Higney, Besar Ismaili, Steven Klein, Lashaumba Randolph and Abdurahamin Shabazz allegedly operated the stolen car ring. During the operation, they allegedly would obtain stolen cars from Michigan and Florida, transported the stolen cars to New York and Connecticut for resale. In an effort to sell the cars, they w…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Scarsdale Worker, Business Victimized In $700 Gift Card Card Scam Scarsdale Worker, Business Victimized In $700 Gift Card Card Scam
Scarsdale Worker, Business Victimized In $700 Gift Card Card Scam Police are investigating a report of fraud after a local worker and his entire office was targeted by a schemer seeking Apple gift cards in Westchester. A resident of Black Birch Lane in Scarsdale reported to police on Sunday afternoon that he had been taken for $700 in gift cards. He stated that he was exchanging emails with an account he believed to be his boss, who requested that he purchase seven Apple Store cards for $100 each. The man proceeded to do so, and in a subsequent email, he was told to scratch off the serial numbers on the back of the cards, photograph the number and email t…

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by Zak Failla
News
White Plains Cook Accused Of Stealing Benefits While Out Of Country White Plains Cook Accused Of Stealing Benefits While Out Of Country
White Plains Cook Accused Of Stealing Benefits While Out Of Country A seasonal employee in Westchester has been busted for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars through unemployment insurance theft schemes while he was out of the country. Greenwich resident Juan Vega was arrested this week as part of an ongoing investigation into unemployment benefits insurance fraud, Westchester County District Attorney Anthony Scarpino, Jr., announced on Tuesday. The arrest comes less than a week after three others were charged for similar offenses. Vega worked as a seasonally employed cook at the Elmwood Country Club in White Plains during the summer. The felony compla…

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by Zak Failla