NCPD hunting serial scammer who stole $45,000 from O’side woman during series of crimes

Nassau County police are searching for an unidentified man whom they have linked to several scams in which he preyed on elderly Nassau residents and bilked them out of thousands of dollars.

Two Oceanside residents were among his victims, including one woman who gave him $45,000 last week after he told her that her son had been arrested and needed bail money. When the man came to her house, his image was captured by her doorbell camera and released by police, but so far they have been unable to identify him.

At a news conference last Friday, Nassau County Police Department Commissioner Patrick Ryder and County Executive Laura Curran announced that they were doubling the reward for any information about the subject that leads to an arrest, offering $10,000.

“This guy, this dirt bag, came to the woman’s door,” Curran said, referencing the latest Oceanside incident. “We want to make sure that every senior knows how to protect themselves, so they don’t become preyed upon.”

According to an NCPD report, the unknown man stole money from an 81-year-old Oceanside woman on Dec. 3 at around 11 a.m. Police said the subject called the woman and said that her son had been arrested after a car accident, which he claimed caused injuries. The man said her son required $7,500 in bail money to be released. The victim gave him the cash at her residence, according to detectives.

After the first transaction, the unknown caller told the victim that an additional $7,500 was needed because the bail had been raised. He claimed that a pregnant woman had been injured in the accident and lost her child. The victim again paid the man at her residence.

The man then contacted her a third time. He said that $30,000 would cover medical costs and would expunge her son’s criminal record if paid in cash. He met the victim and collected the payment.

Police have linked the man to a series of scams across the county, in which he took more than $100,000 from the victims in total. According to Ryder, the man conned $30,000 from a Roslyn senior citizen, more than $5,900 from a Great Neck senior and $8,430 from an Oceanside senior. In each case, the man told the victims that one of their loved ones had been arrested or injured, or both, and needed money.

Ryder said that police linked the man to the other crimes through videos, pictures and descriptions from the victims. All of the victims were over 70. He added that the man unsuccessfully attempted to take $19,000 from a Farmingdale resident, and he was likely involved in other scams that have not yet been reported.

“That piece of garbage — that’s what he is,” Ryder said. “. . . We need to take these guys out, and take them out of society and put them where they belong — in jail.”

Curran said that seniors should not feel embarrassed to come forward if they have been ripped off. She also pleaded with residents who have elderly neighbors to check on them and make sure they are OK if untrustworthy people appear at their doors.

Ryder said the police would protect the identities of victims who come forward, and that their information could help lead to the man’s arrest. Officials added that seniors should be wary of anyone calling them and requesting money, and advised them to be careful about what they post on social media.

“We need to use the public’s help to track him down,” Ryder said. “We need to go viral, and we need to get him now so he can’t get away with another one of these types of scams.”

The subject’s vehicle is described as a dark four-door Honda. Detectives request that anyone with information about the crime contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers at (800) 244-8477. All callers will remain anonymous.