Group tried to scam woman using Zelle app in Central Park: NYPD
MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11) — Four suspects pretending to need money for a basketball fundraiser tried to scam a woman out of some cash by using the Zelle app on her phone, authorities said.
The woman was in Central Park near 101st Street and West Drive at around 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday when the group asked her for a donation, according to the NYPD.
The woman gave one of the suspects her phone and took it back before the thief could transfer any money from her bank account, police said. The woman was not injured in the incident.
Another woman said she was recently scammed out of $2,000 by two boys asking for money for basketball uniforms, according to a TikTok video. The woman said the two boys approached her in Madison Square Park and one kept her busy chatting, and the other used her phone to steal the money via Zelle.
“They’re out and about scamming people,” she said.
Last year, authorities warned the public about teens scamming victims out of thousands of dollars using Zelle and Venmo.
The NYPD did not have recent data about the Zelle scams but there have been almost 17,000 grand larceny incidents citywide this year, according to police data.
There have been no arrests in the Central Park incident. The NYPD released a photo of the suspects.
Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the New York City area for more than a decade. She joined PIX11 News in 2022. See more of her work here.
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