Scammers Swindle Central Park Goers Out Of Thousands Of Dollars: NYPD

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Police are sounding the alarm about a recent surge in criminal activity that is specifically targeting unaware New Yorkers across Central Park.

Over the span of two days, more than five incidents occurred, with three specifically happening on Sheep Meadow, police said. In these occurrences, a group of teenagers reportedly approached park visitors, soliciting donations for their sports team.

In the course of these interactions, the group persuades the victim to surrender their phone under the pretense of entering their Zelle information. However, they swiftly transfer a significant amount of money to themselves without the individual's consent, authorities said.

On Tuesday, authorities reported that a 23-year-old woman walking in Central Park near W. 101st Street and West Drive was approached by a group of four strangers soliciting funds for their basketball fundraiser.

After surrendering her phone to one of the strangers, an attempt was made to transfer an unspecified amount of money via Zelle from her account to the perpetrator's account.

When she attempted to grab her phone back, the thieves quickly scattered in different directions on foot, police said.

According to the New York Post, on Monday, the former Miss New York fell victim to the same scheme in Lower Manhattan.

In this instance, two teenagers purportedly agreed to a nominal donation for their basketball team but ended up transferring $2,000 to themselves via Zelle, significantly more than the agreed-upon amount.

Police said it's unclear how many people are involved in the scam or if they are connected, but they released images of four people they are actively pursuing in relation to an incident that occurred on Tuesday.

The first individual sought is a man around 5 feet 10 inches tall, last seen wearing black sweatpants, a light-colored shirt, and black and purple Nike sneakers. The second person is described as approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall, wearing a light gray shirt.

The third and fourth individuals are both around 5 feet 8 inches tall, with the fourth described as a slim-built man in a white shirt.

There were no injuries in any of the incidents, and there have been no arrests, police said.

"Be aware of donation scams asking for money for sports teams, activities, or non for profit organizations using Venmo, Cash App, or Zelle. Never offer your phone to anyone you don't know," NYPD said.

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).