Dana Sarantakis of Massachusetts charged with scamming Carle Place law firm out of $95G, police say

A Massachusetts man surrendered to Nassau County police Wednesday in connection with a business email scam from 2022 that cost a Nassau law firm $95,000, police said.

Police said Dana Sarantakis, 41, of Lowell, Massachusetts, surrendered at the Eighth Precinct in Bethpage and was charged with second-degree grand larceny. He faces arraignment Thursday in First District Court in Hempstead.

Police said that on Aug. 23 a 72-year-old employee of a Carle Place law firm received an email from a person “he believed to be his employer” who also was the owner of the firm, and was directed to wire $95,000 from the firm’s bank account at HSBC. After sending the money, the employee, whose identity was not released, learned from his employer that he did not make the request, police said.

This type of fraud is commonly known as a business email compromise scam, police said.

Police did not reveal what evidence led Major Case Bureau investigators to charge Sarantakis in the scam.

It was not immediately clear if Sarantakis is represented by counsel.

On its website, the Federal Trade Commission said scammers engaging in business email scams pretend to be someone working for the company who has the trust of the targeted employee. They also “create a sense of urgency,” the FTC said, forcing the employee to rush into making a quick decision — and make wire transfers or send gift cards or reloadable cards “that are nearly impossible to reverse or track.”

The FTC advises that employees verify all invoices and requests before making any payments or transfers and that employers and employees get “tech-savvy” — and understand that scammers often fake identities and caller ID info, while also using email addresses and websites that are fake, as well.

The FTC advises similar potential scams should be reported to local police.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”