Harrison Police: Con Artist Scammed Woman, 92, Out Of More Than $300,000
HARRISON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A 92-year-old Westchester County woman was talking Wednesday night about how she fell victim to con artists who stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from her.
As CBS2's Lou Young reported, scammers preyed on the woman's love for her grandson. Police said scammers bought a BMW and a closet full of $1,000-per-pair sneakers with the money he conned her out of.
Sylvester Odiase Jr., 34, of Edgewater, New Jersey was the alleged leader of an interstate gang of Nigerian nationals who police said robbed the Harrison woman. Also charged were Rachell Odiase, 54, of the Bronx; Cecilia Rivera, 32 of Brooklyn; and Brittany Yearling, 32, of Missouri City, Texas, according to Harrison police.
Police said it was Sylvester Odiase who robbed the woman with a fake emergency call from someone claiming to be her grandson.
"He said, 'I need $8,000 right away and I said, 'Where are you?' He said, 'I'm in jail -- just a minute,'" the victim said, "and he handed the phone to this other person who was supposedly a sergeant."
The purported sergeant did all the talking from that point on. There were multiple calls back and forth between the victim and the fake precinct.
Over the course of several days, there was also an escalating sense of urgency, and the victim wired $300,000 more into various accounts to secure her grandson's freedom.
It seemed very real.
"They're extremely convincing, and they instill fear in the elderly," said Harrison police Chief Anthony Marraccini, "and when the elderly are fearful, they're going to do things that they wouldn't normally don't do."
"I feel awful. I have nightmares, and I cannot believe I was stupid enough and gullible enough to believe this," the victim said.
The treasure trove of evidence uncovered in the Bronx, New Jersey and Texas indicated dozens of hacked identities – perhaps belonging to other people who are already victims.
Police in tiny Harrison said such scams happen there with alarming regularity.
"With this kind of scam, I would say once a week," said Harrison police Sgt. William Curow.
It is a lesson too many are learning the hard way.
"Other people should be smarter than I am," the woman who was victimized said, "and they should never, ever do anything on the phone -- which is what I did."
It is expected that the Harrison case will be picked up by the FBI as more victim surface.
Other similar and popular scams include callers asking for bill payments or back taxes. Police advise consumers to avoid making payments over the phone.