ATM Scammers Steal $77k From UES, City Seniors: NYPD

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Police are sounding the alarm over a new ATM scam that has cost New Yorkers nearly $77,000 in stolen money over 15 reported incidents in February and March.

The scammers are targeting older residents, including a 93-year-old.

Police said it's unclear how many people are involved in the running scam, or if they are connected, but they released images of four people they are seeking in connection to the incidents.

As described by police officials, the scam typically involves a person taking note of someone's ATM pin number, then distracting the victim by asking if they had dropped money on the ground. The money is actually a decoy set by the thief, who then swaps out the person's ATM card with a fake as the victim is distracted. Most have no idea the theft occurs until later when they see money — often thousands of dollars — stolen from their accounts.

"It's absolutely infuriating," said Deputy Inspector William J. Gallagher, commanding officer of the Upper East Side's 19th Precinct told NBC on Tuesday. "We want to catch these people as soon as possible, because they're just inflicting tremendous trauma on the most vulnerable people in our city."

"These are people who are living on a fixed income. Without money in the bank from their card, how are they going to get their groceries? How are they going to get their perception? It's a very, very serious matter," Gallagher said.

One Upper East Side man had $1,200 stolen from his bank account at a Citibank ATM on First Avenue near East 79th Street, police said.

While the man was using the ATM, a person approached him and asked if he had dropped money on the floor, according to officials. As the 69-year-old looked down to check, the thief, having already seen the man's pin number, swapped out his bank card for a decoy card without the man noticing, police said.

Use an ATM? Thieves are lurking in bank vestibules working to steal from you!

They place money on the ground & claim you dropped it, while you pick it up they grab your debit card or pickpocket you & use your PIN/card to withdraw your money later. Call 911 if you observe this ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/thHhv4nS6e
— NYPD 19th Precinct (@NYPD19Pct) March 26, 2023

Officers from the 19th Precinct actually sounded the alarm late last month with a video demonstrating what the scam looks like in action.

Each of the 15 incidents, across all different neighborhoods in the city, occurred in an eerily similar way — and all in Citibank ATM's, officials said.

The worst theft occurred in February, when a 60-year-old Ridgewood man had $21,500 stolen from his account after he was scammed at a Metropolitan Avenue Citibank ATM, police said.

In Forest Hills, a 93-year-old woman had $4,500 withdrawn from her account on Valentines Day after she was targeted by the scammers. Weeks later, the thieves targeted the same Citibank where they stole the card of an 89-year-old man, later withdrawing $5,000 from his account, according to police.

Thefts were also reported across Brooklyn and The Bronx.

Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).