UPPER EAST SIDE — Two local residents were swindled out of thousands of dollars by phone scammers who called both victims on the same morning last week, according to the NYPD.
Thieves pretending to be debt collectors called the residents at 10 a.m. on Aug. 4 and demanded money, authorities said.
Police said the two cases do not yet appear connected.
In one incident, a scammer told a 51-year-old resident of East 69th Street that she owed the IRS $18,000 and demanded she send the money to a certain bank account, authorities said. The victim complied, only to later find out it was a scam.
On the same date and time, another scammer called a 91-year-old man, who lives on East 78th Street, and told him that money was due on his credit card.
Police did not immediately have information on how much the victim paid the thief, but said that the suspect made thousands of dollars in unauthorized purchases using the victim's credit card information.
The NYPD advises residents to hang up on a call from someone demanding money, and assures that the IRS will always send a bill first in the mail.
#ScamAlert: Victim sent $18K in "owed taxes" to someone who called pretending to be #IRS. #UpperEastSide #UES #NYC pic.twitter.com/sL0ZQWEz0N
— NYPD 19th Precinct (@NYPD19Pct) August 5, 2016
