Senior scam alert: NYPD warns about sweet-talking grifters asking for directions, then stealing victims’ jewelry
Police officials reported an uptick in scams in which suspects swiped necklaces and rings right off kindhearted older adults who were sweet-talked into supposedly helping them when lost.
According to NYPD Lieutenant Kevin Kelly, the perpetrators — who included three Romanian nationals arrested on robbery charges previously — have targeted seniors at their homes or while walking down the sidewalk.
The grifters stopped the seniors and asked for directions. Cops said they would then offer a purportedly expensive necklace to them as a thank-you for their assistance.
But while placing the necklace on the seniors’ necks, Kelly noted, the crooks would take their actual belongings.
“Generally they’re asking for directions, or they see the person with jewelry, and they say, ‘My mother or my father had similar jewelry.’ Oh, you know, they start telling them personal stories, and now they want to thank them. I want to give you a blessing. I want to give you a gift,” Kelly said, explaining the MO. “We’ve seen an uptick. And of course, with the summer months, people are wearing their jewelry.”
In one Queens case, on March 13, police said a 22-year-old woman walked up to the home of a 76-year-old woman near 210th Street and 90th Avenue in Whitestone. She asked the victim for directions before removing a necklace worth $3,000.
The thief was later identified as Stefania Alexandru of Romania. Police said she was cuffed in the confines of 108th Precinct in Long Island City on March 25 when she allegedly stole another chain, this time valued at $2,500, from a 69-year-old woman in the area. She was charged with grand larceny.
Alleged cohorts, 34-year-old Stefan Alexandru and 35-year-old Claudia Lincan, were also charged with grand larceny.
Since February, the group of grifters has made off with more than $90,000 in stolen jewelry.
While police ultimately arrested Alexandru and her crew, they say they are not the only ones out there performing these lucrative scams.
In an April 2 incident, a white SUV pulled up outside of 63-84 Saunders St. in Rego Park and asked a 64-year-old woman for directions. During the interaction, the unknown crook stole a necklace worth $900, and the victim walked away, not even realizing that she had been robbed.
“Generally, they’re in cars. We’ve seen a lot of rental cars with out-of-state plates. And sometimes children are in the car as well, and it’s all for distraction,” Kelly said.
Police say these scams originated in Queens and Brooklyn but have rapidly spread to all five boroughs.
Kelly urged New Yorkers to be aware of similar scams and not to suffer the same fate.
“Don’t let people get too close to you. Absolutely do not let people put their arms on you, especially around your neck and your shoulder area, back up. Move away. Walk away. You know, stay alert,” Kelly said. “Just know that this is happening.”
