Plainview man gives $147G to scammers, Nassau officials say

For the second day in a row, a Long Island police agency has warned the public about phone scams that steal money, often from senior citizens.

On Friday, Nassau County police announced the arrest of two people who they say convinced a Plainview man that he had won $5.7 million from the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes. But in the end, the man, who is 79, lost more than $147,000, police said.

It was only when the man's son found out about the ruse that he called police, who set up a sting and captured the two people, said Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder. He urged people to warn their elderly loved ones about such scammers.

"We have an obligation to our parents, to our grandparents, to protect them as they have protected us," Ryder said during a news conference in Mineola. "We've got to stop letting them prey on our seniors."

Nassau police officials said they had seen a significant increase in reported phone scams this year. So far, police have received a total of 85 reports, more than double the 42 from this time last year. 

When the Plainview man, whose identity police did not reveal, was initially contacted by the con artists, he was instructed to make multiple deposits on several dates totaling more than $147,000, police said. The scammers told him the money was needed for taxes and fees related to the sweepstakes win, police said.

On March 1, the man's son became aware of the scam and called police. When the scammers contacted the man again on Tuesday, instructing him to deliver $25,000 to an address in Queens Village, police set up a sting, Ryder said.

That sting led to the arrest Tuesday of Lenkeisha Bolton, 28, of Queens Village, police said. On Thursday, police officials, who had been working with Homeland Security, said they arrested Dimitri Blanchard, 26, of Baldwin, in connection with the scam.

Both are charged with third-degree grand larceny, fourth-degree criminal facilitation, and fifth-degree conspiracy, police said.

Bolton was arraigned Wednesday in First District Court and held on $20,000 bond or $10,000 cash. A temporary order of protection was issued, according to online court records. "She's pleaded not guilty," said Bolton's Mineola-based attorney, Lloyd Nadel. "She denies involvement in this." 

Blanchard was arraigned Friday in First District Court and held on $50,000 bond or $25,000 cash. A telephone call to his attorney wasn't immediately returned.

"This is a heinous act," said Nassau County Executive Laura Curran, who was also at the news conference. "We need to stress to the elderly … don't fall for something that sounds too good to be true. If it sounds too good, chances are it probably is."

Nassau authorities said they were attempting to help the man gain some financial restitution of the money he lost. 

On Thursday, Suffolk County police held a news conference and said that fraudsters are employing a new phone scam that displays a caller ID that looks like a legitimate source, whether it’s the U.S. Social Security Administration or PSEG Long Island.

In addition, PSEG Long Island held an informational session Thursday to caution senior citizens, who are often the target of such scams.

Essentially the scam bypasses people’s defenses by displaying what looks like an authentic caller ID. That can lead people to open up to a scammer, and consequently open up their accounts and finances to thieves, officials said.

Ryder, the Nassau police commissioner, said the con artists who stole the money from the Plainview man did not use that caller-ID ploy.

Police asked that anyone who believes they've received a phone scam contact police by dialing 911.

By Craig Schneider

craig.schneider@newsday.comScraigo

Craig Schneider is a Long Island native and Stony Brook University alumnus. He joined Newsday as a general assignment reporter in January 2018 after 20 years at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.