MELVILLE, N.Y. (PIX11) – The Suffolk County Police Department announced Friday they were able to recover $49,000 taken from an 89-year-old man on Long Island on Wednesday.
The 89-year-old fell victim to a scam. He called a number he found online to help him with his computer password problems. The number he called was a sham, and the person over the phone was a scammer. The thief convinced the man that his personal bank accounts had been hacked. The scammer told the Long Island man to remove all his money from the bank.
At 1:30 p.m., the victim went to a Bank of America branch and withdrew $28,000. He then proceeded to another branch to withdraw $21,000. The scammers warned him that his financial institution was involved in the theft and advised him to provide a false reason for the withdrawals, the police said.
He withdrew the money and told the bank employees he was buying a vehicle. According to authorities, He drove home, and the scammer came to his residence on foot and asked for the money.
The swindler then took photos of the victim and walked off with the two envelopes containing cash. The Suffolk County Police Department's Financial Crimes Unit conducted an in...