Cops: Phone scammer steals more than $6,000 from elderly woman
A phone scammer targeting a woman suffering from Alzheimer’s disease swindled more than $6,000, telling the elderly woman she had won the lottery and needed to pay taxes on her winnings, Riverhead Town police said.
A man by the name of Nan Bolwin contacted the woman by phone in mid-November, told her she had won $950,000 in a lottery, but needed to send in money for processing fees and taxes, according to a report.
The woman, who police said suffers from Alzheimer’s, sent the man three checks totaling $6,400, which were made out to Bolwin and cashed, authorities said.
Another check in the amount of $8,000 had also been sent to the man, but officials at Suffolk County National Bank put the check on hold – to verify with the account holder, police said.
Family members intervened, and the final check was canceled, according to a report.
Detectives are investigating.
