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Door-To-Door NY Fraudster Who Duped 101-Year-Old Woman Learns His Fate
A Capital Region man who went door-to-door promising home improvement projects — then never completed them — was sentenced Thursday, April 23 for fraud, authorities said.
Zaire Daniels, 29, got 28 months to seven years in prison for scamming 13 victims, including a 101-year-old woman, out of more than $32,000, the Albany County District Attorney’s office said.
Daniels, of Ballston Spa, approached residents in Albany, Bethlehem, Guilderland, and Colonie between the fall of 2024 and December 2025 and promised to complete outdoor projects and exterior renovations in exchange for cash, prosecut…
NY Woman Conned 92-Year-Old Into Sending $13K For ‘Lottery Taxes’: Cops
A New York woman swiped $13,000 from a 92-year-old woman by convincing her she won the lottery, police said Friday, March 13.
Alicia Stanley, a 35-year-old Albany resident, told the victim in Glasgow, KY, she would need to pay taxes via cashier’s check to collect her winnings, the Albany Police Department said. The woman sent two cashier’s checks totalling $10,232, along with $2,800 in cash to an address in Albany, according to investigators.
Stanley called the victim between Tuesday, March 3 and Thursday, March 5, according to police. Glasgow cops alerted Albany authorities on March 5, and…
How To Avoid Lottery, Prize Scams: You Didn’t Enter, But You 'Won'?
A surprise message says you hit the jackpot, but there’s a catch: you must pay a fee or hand over personal details to claim it.
That’s the hallmark of a lottery or prize scam—designed to separate you from your money and identity.
These schemes often arrive by email, text, phone, or mail and lean on pressure tactics to force quick decisions.
Scammers frequently demand “taxes,” “processing,” or “shipping” upfront, or ask for sensitive data to “verify” you.
Legitimate lotteries do not require payment to release a prize, and you should never be asked for your Social Security…
Capital Region Man Linked To $20K Scam Gets More Charges After Victims Come Forward: Nysp
A Rensselaer County man already accused of running a months-long scam that cost victims tens of thousands of dollars is now facing new charges after another victim came forward, police said.
Patrick Walsh, age 63, of Nassau, was arrested Tuesday, Sept. 16, on a warrant charging him with fourth-degree grand larceny and first-degree scheme to defraud, New York State Police announced on Tuesday, Sept. 23.
This was Walsh's second arrest since May, when he was first charged in connection with a scheme involving the theft of more than $20,000. According to police, Walsh took …
Big League Lie: Man Claimed MLB Career While Scamming Women, Dodging Sex Offender Registry: DOJ
He said he was going pro in baseball — but what he really went pro in was lying, scamming, and disappearing from the sex offender registry, prosecutors in Virginia say.
Now, he's going to prison.
A Roanoke man who told women he was a Major League Baseball prospect, forged six-figure checks, used burner phones to impersonate team officials, and failed to register as a sex offender pleaded guilty in federal court earlier this year, federal officials announced.
Now, Janike Dunbar Holt — a man who goes by many names — has been sentenced to 41 months in federal prison.
Holt, 29 — also known as…
Zelle Left Users Open To $1B In Scams, NY AG Says
The operator of Zelle is accused of designing the popular payment app without basic safeguards, allowing scammers to steal more than $1 billion from users.
A lawsuit filed against Early Warning Services, LLC (EWS) by New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office Wednesday, Aug. 13, alleges the company failed to protect users from scams.
EWS operates Zelle and is owned by a consortium of some of the country’s largest banks, including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Capital One, and Wells Fargo.
According to the complaint, EWS launched Zelle in 2017 without critical safeguards, making it …
Sex Offender Faked MLB Career, Scammed Women, Skipped Registry In Virginia: DOJ
He said he was going pro in baseball — but what he really went pro in was lying, scamming, and disappearing from the sex offender registry, prosecutors in Virginia say.
A Roanoke man who told women he was a Major League Baseball prospect, forged six-figure checks, used burner phones to impersonate team officials, and failed to register as a sex offender has pleaded guilty in federal court as part of an elaborate scheme, federal officials announced.
He went by many names while executing his scheme.
Janike Dunbar Holt, 29 — also known as “Nike,” “Janike Tagovailoa,” “Keanu Tagovailoa,” and “…
$10M Lie: Sweet-Talking Scammer Conned Capital Region Victim Out Of Thousands, Police Say
A fraudster convinced an elderly Capital Region man he had won millions in a sweepstakes, then walked away with tens of thousands in cash, police said.
Lance Norman, 36, of Queens, was arrested on Monday, May 12, in connection with an elaborate Publishers Clearing House scam that targeted a victim in Columbia County, according to New York State Police.
A Chatham man told troopers he received a phone call claiming he had won $10 million and a new Mercedes-Benz. The caller instructed him that in order to claim the prize, he needed to pay taxes up front.
The victim handed over approximately $…
Columbia Co. Victim Gave $100K In Gold, Cash To Scammer Posing As Federal Agent, Police Say
A Long Island man posing as a federal agent conned a Hudson Valley woman into handing over nearly $100,000 in cash and gold, police said.
Mykhaylo Mykhaylov, 39, of Copiague, was busted during an undercover operation in Columbia County on Wednesday, May 7 — just as the victim was about to deliver yet another payment, New York State Police said.
The 73-year-old victim first contacted police on Monday, May 5, after realizing she may have been targeted in a fraud scheme that began in March. She told troopers that people claiming to be agents with the Federal Trade Commission had convinced her …
Father-Daughter Duo Who Stole $230K From Elderly Victim In Hudson Valley Dodges Prison
A father and daughter who scammed a 92-year-old woman out of more than $230,000 in Ulster County won’t spend a day in prison.
Frank Whittaker, 56, of Kingston, and his daughter, Christine Ellsworth, 39, of Accord, were sentenced to probation and ordered to pay restitution in Ulster County Court on Tuesday, March 4.
The daddy-daughter duo gained the victim’s trust by helping with yard work and household tasks, according to the New York Attorney General’s office. Over time, Whittaker convinced the woman to grant him Power of Attorney over her finances.
But instead of managing her money resp…
