Scammers steal more than $5,000 from two Nassau women through phone app, police say

Two people were cheated out of more than $5,000 last week by scammers posing as tech support operators urging them to download an app on their phone and then wire them money, Nassau County police said.

Police said a Thomaston woman Googled “Apple support” Thursday afternoon after believing her computer had a virus. The woman dialed a number from her search results and a man posing as an operator told her to download the “AnyDesk App,” which allowed him to get remote access to her phone screen.

The operator told her to log in to Zelle and Venmo accounts and told her to send $4,000 to another man, police said. After sending the money, the woman became suspicious and dialed 911 to report the loss.

Around the same time Friday, shortly after 4 p.m., police said, a woman in Seaford received an error message on her television while trying to watch Amazon Prime. The message said the account was locked and told her to call a New Jersey area code. When she called, an operator told her to download the AnyDesk App on her phone, which enabled remote access to her phone.

The operator told her to use the quick pay feature on her Capital One checking account and send various amounts of money through Zelle to a bank account. The woman sent $1,489 until she became suspicious and stopped sending money, police said.

Police are investigating both frauds and warned residents and vulnerable adults of similar scams. Police ask anyone with information to call Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS.

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.