STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The NYPD is alerting people on Staten Island and the rest of New York City that criminals are targeting them for scams involving payment apps, fake sweepstakes, tax schemes and people pretending to be members of law-enforcement.
Philip Banks III, deputy mayor for public safety, noted at a recent news conference that many new and old scams are being used to victimize vulnerable people, especially seniors and children.
“They prey on our elderly,” Banks said about scammers. “They prey on our youth. They prey on the generosity of our heart to steal our property and steal our money.”
Everyone has probably received either a text message or an email claiming that they owe money that they don’t, said Capt. Spiro Papavlasopoulos, commanding officer of the NYPD’s Crime Prevention Division.
Scams involving payment apps are among the newest traps to snare victims. A group of teens might approach a victim and ask for a “donation” for a basketball team. The group then gains control of the victim’s cell phone and adds extra zeros to the payment amount.
“Do not give your phone to anyone,” said Papavlasopoulos, who also suggested using enhanced security measures such as two-step authentication or facial recognition on cell phones.
Assistant Commissioner Carlos Ortiz of the city Department of Consumer and Worker Protection noted that there are a variety of scams where individuals try to obtain money and personal information.
“You’ve learned that you won a big prize, but there’s a catch,” Ortiz said of the sweepstakes scam. “You have to submit money, send that money in before you can access that prize.”
The grandparents scam might begin with a phone call in the middle of the night indicating that a loved one needs help, urgently requires cash and the victim is the only one who is able to assist by sending money.
Ortiz said a typical law-enforcement scam might begin with a call from somebody claiming to be an officer or from a police…
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