TRIBECA — That's one smooth criminal.
A thief who took a woman’s wallet after she gave him her phone number charged more than $200 to her credit card before calling her later that night and asking for a reward for finding it, the NYPD said.
The 44-year-old TriBeCa resident was walking near the intersection of Church and Leonard streets around 10 p.m. on April 8 when the scammer approached her and asked her for a cigarette, police said.
After opening her purse and handing him one, he asked for her number, which she also gave to him, the NYPD said.
After giving him her digits, the woman felt “uncomfortable” and ducked into nearby lounge Macao Trading Co., staying there for a half an hour before returning to her apartment, police said.
After she'd gotten home, the woman realized her wallet was missing and discovered someone had charged $209.81 to one of her Citibank cards, the NYPD said.
Not long after, she received a call from the man, who said he had her wallet and then asked for a reward for finding it, police said.
“No, you already made charges to my card,” the woman responded before the man hung up, the NYPD said.
No one had been arrested in connection with the incident as of Thursday.
Other recent crimes in the 1st Precinct include:
► An 18-year-old boy had just gotten out of a yellow cab in front of 109 Prince St. around 3:30 p.m. on April 7 when he realized he’d left his $300 Tumi bag with a $2,000 iPad Pro, his wallet, $500 in cash, a pencil case, a $100 Apple pencil, immigration forms, his passport and his Social Security card inside, the NYPD said. The boy was able to get in touch with the cab driver, who met him in front of the Trump SoHo Hotel to return his belongings, but the driver only gave back the boy’s wallet, passport and social security card before fleeing the scene. No one had been arrested in connection with the incident as of Thursday. The city’s Taxi & Limousine Commission didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
