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The second time was hardly the charm for this alleged scammer.
Suffolk police said a Queens man’s alleged greed led to his arrest after he went to the home of a 77-year-old Lindenhurst woman to trick her into giving him thousands of dollars — just a day after another scam artist accepted more than $16,000 from her in a computer alert scheme.
The victim initially received a fraudulent alert on Wednesday, claiming her bank account had been compromised and instructing her to call a number listed. After talking to the scammer, she withdrew $16,000 in cash, which was collected from her home by a man about 1:30 p.m. that day, police said.
On Thursday, scammers allegedly attempted to get another $10,000 from the woman. This time, she called the police, leading to the arrest of Gurpreet Singh, 29, at her residence around 1:10 p.m., cops said.
Singh is charged with third-degree grand larceny and is expected to be arraigned today in Central Islip’s First District Court. Authorities said they believe another individual was involved in the initial theft and are continuing their investigation.
Police urge anyone with information or potential victims of similar scams to contact First Squad detectives at 631.854.8152.
Top photo: Unsplash/Christin Hume
