By Jeff Lipton
The con artists, who work mostly in teams of twos and threes, struck three times in a two-day period last week, police said. They staked out area banks, mostly in the Rockaway Turnpike corridor and in Lawrence and Cedarhurst, and watched as tellers handed customers large sums of cash, officials said. The thieves then punctured the tires of the customers' cars, and pointed out the flats to them. While the victims inspected the damage, the thieves grabbed the cash the victims left in their cars and fled.
About $13,500 was stolen from the three victims in last week's spree, police said.
"Oh yeah, we've been hit with this [scheme] from time to time before this," said Detective Sgt. Ronald Nesbitt of the 4th Squad. "But in this recent spate, we have a pattern, and this type of larceny just exploded last week."
Nesbitt called the con artists "highly skilled" in pulling off their scams, and said they are awfully convincing, with even the most skeptical victims falling prey to their tactics. "They are very practiced and polished in doing what they do, which is removing you from your possessions," he said.
"This is just one big scam," Nesbitt added. "They are becoming too emboldened in what they are doing, and carrying it out with much more frequency."
4th Precinct police officer Robin Webb explained that, as in most scams, the elderly seem to have been targeted in the latest incidents. "We've been having a big-time problem with scams hitting the elderly," she said. "It seems like [the con artists] are stalking people around banks and puncturing their tires, and they seem to be willing to help people fix their flat tires."
The first incident occurred on Aug. 23 at 12:20 p.m., when a woman had just withdrawn about $10,000 from a local bank and then drove away in her car after her tire apparently had been punctured, causing the air to slowly leak out. The thieves reportedly hailed her at Spruce Street in Cedarhurst and told her she had a flat. When she went to look at it, one of the thieves removed the money from her pocketbook, which she had left in the car, police said.
The two other scams happened about five minutes apart on Aug. 25. The first incident was reported at 2:25 p.m., after a woman cashed three checks totaling about $1,600 at a local Bank of America and put the money in an envelope. When she and her husband were driving to their home on Caldwell Avenue in North Woodmere about 10 minutes later, they noticed their tire was flat and stopped to inspect it. At that point, one of the thieves, who had followed them, grabbed the envelope and escaped in an SUV.
The second incident that day was reported at 2:30 p.m., when a man left the local North Fork Bank after withdrawing about $1,900, and was followed into Office Max on Burnside Avenue in North Lawrence. There, one of the thieves surreptitiously squirted ketchup on the victim's jacket pocket, where he had placed the cash, police said. When the victim returned to his car, he noticed the ketchup and removed the money from his pocket in order to clean it up, authorities said. At that point, one of the con artists pointed out to him that he had a flat tire and told him he could help him fix it. The victim went to the front of his car to inspect the tire, and when he returned, his money was missing and the thieves were gone, police said.
The 4th Squad is investigating all three incidents, trying to determine whether the smooth-talking bandits are part of a much larger gang that has been preying on victims, mostly the elderly, in recent weeks. Police said they are investigating whether it could be a gang as large as 20, operating in smaller groups. "There's definitely a group of people working this [scam], definitely two at a time, maybe three or more," said Nesbitt.
Police said the con men are so smooth in their approach that the victims have failed to get a good look at them. As a result, police have had incomplete eyewitness descriptions.
The thieves may also be stationing someone inside the banks to make sure they focus on victims who are withdrawing large sums of money. "They are not going after someone who just took out $40 from the bank," Webb said.
"These people are acting like good Samaritans, like they are willing to help," she added. "Please be careful going to the bank, and be aware of your surroundings."
Police said if bank customers suspect they are being victimized, they should immediately leave the area and call 911. "We are trying to get the word out and let everyone know," Webb said.
Nesbitt said that 4th Precinct police have increased patrols - and may also deploy specialized anti-crime units - around banks to deter the scam artists and possibly catch them in the act. He added that bank employees are also being educated about the thieves' methods. "We are telling bank employees to be more cognizant of people who are inside the bank just standing around and not conducting any transactions," Nesbitt said. "Those who just come in and then decide to leave."
He cautioned bank customers to secure their money in their pockets, and never leave it behind in their cars.
Comments about this story? JLipton@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210.
