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Raymond A. Tierney, the Suffolk County District Attorney, urged the public to be vigilant of scams after an elderly Setauket resident was conned out of $650,000 by someone claiming to be a federal agent, the DA’s office announced on Friday, April 28.
The victim, whose name has remained confidential, was originally contacted in July 2022 by someone claiming to be from her bank.
The caller allegedly told the victim that her bank account had been flagged and instructed her to make a call to a number for “FBI Special Agent Johnson.”
When the victim called the supposed agent, she was told that her identity had been stolen and used to rent a drug- and blood-ridden car in Texas.
In order to protect her identity, the scammer said, the victim needed to transfer all of her money to other people for safekeeping and would have to pay for a new social security number, the DA reported.
Over the course of the scam, the victim sent over $650,000 in cashier’s checks.
Authorities alleged that the scammer called the victim daily to check on her. He sent her transaction confirmations on fake FBI letterhead and told her that there was a “gag order” on her so that she would not divulge any information regarding the money she was sending.
The scheme was uncovered when an Indiana Adult Protective Services investigator, who was investigating a phone scam in Indiana, alerted Suffolk County authorities that the Setauket woman may also be a victim.
“Scammers are becoming more and more sophisticated, and they are preying on our vulnerable elderly population, said Tierney.
“The public needs to be made aware of how they operate so they can take precautions to safeguard their funds if they are targeted.”
After discovering the full extent of the scam from the initially-apprehensive victim, authorities were able to intercept one of the $25,000 cashier’s checks while it was in transit and seized an additional $115,000 the victim had sent from a South Bend bank account.
Tierney advised community members to “slow down and be skeptical” when it comes to calls or emails asking for personal information or money.
“Consult an expert or law enforcement, or just speak with your dependable friends or relatives about the phone conversation before accepting the story as true and sending money,” he said.
Anyone who believes they have been a victim of this or any scam is urged to call the Suffolk County Police Department’s Financial Crimes Unit at 631-852-6821.
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