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Police in the area are warning residents to be careful of dating sites after reports of three people looking for love being ripped off for more than $15,000.
Two women from the Queens and another from Connecticut were the victims, according to Tuckahoe Police Lt. Larry Rotta.
The incidents occurred over the past eight months involving the site PlentyofFish.com, Rotta said
This is how the scam works. The man meets the woman online and builds up a trusting relationship by exchanging photos, emails and text messages, Rotta said.
The man then tells the woman he works for Chase bank and he could earn bonuses and extra vacation days if she opens an account with a $5,000 cash deposit, Rotta said.
Once the woman agrees, the man sets up the first face-to-face date at a Chase parking lot.
When the woman arrives for the "date," he tells her by phone that's he swamped and will send out an intern to get the $5,000 to set up the account and then he will be out in 10 minutes, Rotta said.
Moments later, a woman wearing a Chase bank shirt shows up and takes the cash before heading back towards the bank, he added.
But of course, she is really gone, and so is the cash.
Rotta is warning women not fall for any type of "date" where you meet a person in a parking lot or give them money.
He also added to never provide your Social Security number or banking information to anyone you meet online. And, if your instincts tell you it's not right, it isn't.
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