An ATM scheme has reportedly drained tens of thousands of dollars from elderly customers of the biggest banks in the United States.
New York City police are warning senior citizens to be on the lookout for a trio of scammers at ATMs after a crime spree that occurred between May and June, reports The New York Post.
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Authorities warn that the group – made up of two men and a woman – act as good Samaritans by offering to help the elderly use the ATM or strike up a conversation with them as a distraction to try and steal their bank cards.
Police say that on May 14th, the trio stole $20,000 from the bank account of a 90-year-old woman and drained $3,000 from the account of an 83-year-old woman in two separate incidents that occurred just one hour apart.
On June 2nd, one of the thieves started up a conversation with a 71-year-old man while withdrawing cash at a Chase Bank ATM. While the victim was distracted, the scammer stole the man’s bank card and linked up with another man at a different Chase Bank ATM location, where they tried to take out $5,500.
The 71-year-old says the scammers charged $6,000 to his account in just one hour.
The thieves struck again on June 19th when they targeted an 86-year-old woman and stole about $24,000 from her account.
According to the police, the trio is responsible for stealing at least $70,000 from elderly victims.
Authorities say that a total of nine incidents of thieves using the same scheme against seniors at Chase Bank, Bank of America, Capital One and Citibank locations in New York were reported between May 8th and June 26th.
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