Brooklyn, NY – Thursday — A smooth-talking scam artist is wanted after duping four unsuspecting victims at ATMs across Brooklyn into depositing fake checks and handing over thousands in cash, according to police.
The series of incidents began on Sunday, June 22, when a man approached a 38-year-old at a Chase Bank ATM at 490 Fulton Street around 2:30 p.m. The suspect convinced the victim to deposit a fraudulent $880 check into his account, then hand over the cash. The victim complied, and the man fled on foot.
Just over a week later, on July 1, the same scam unfolded at the same Chase Bank. Around 5:30 p.m., the scammer convinced a 28-year-old woman to deposit a fake $2,860 check in exchange for cash. The suspect once again escaped with the money.
The third reported incident occurred on July 22 at a Citibank ATM located at 1501 Kings Highway in the 61st Precinct. A 20-year-old woman was approached around 5 p.m. and was persuaded to deposit a bogus check for $990. She handed the cash to the scammer, who fled the scene.
The following day, July 23, the same scheme was carried out at a TD Bank at 340 Court Street in the 76th Precinct. A 23-year-old woman was approached at an ATM around 4:20 p.m. and gave the suspect $4,790 after depositing another fraudulent check.
In total, the scammer has walked away with at least $9,520 using the same method across four different incidents. In each case, the victims were approached by an unidentified individual while using an ATM, asked to deposit a fake check, and hand over the cash in return. The suspect fled on foot each time, and no injuries were reported.
Investigators are working to determine if the same person is behind all four scams.
Key Points
- Four ATM users were scammed into depositing fraudulent checks totaling over $9,500 and handing over cash to an unidentified man.
- The incidents occurred between June 22 and July 23 at banks in the 84th, 61st, and 76th precincts.
- In each case, the scammer fled on foot after receiving the cash.
A fast-moving check fraud scam is sweeping Brooklyn as victims keep falling for the same ATM trick.