CBS2 Exclusive: Man, 82, Says He Was Scammed Out Of $7,000 By Fake Cop
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- An elderly man was scammed out of hundreds of dollars by what he believes was a fake cop.
The man spoke exclusively to CBS2's Valerie Castro about the phony traffic stop.
The 82-year-old victim said he was embarrassed after he was conned out of $7,000 by a man posing as a police officer.
"He told me he was an undercover cop," the man said.
The victim was leaving a Stop and Shop in Flushing, Queens on Saturday afternoon when an older-model van pulled up to him with the window down.
"He says, 'You know, you didn't stop long enough at the stop sign, or you went through the stop sign, and you almost hit me.' And he says, 'Would you mind just pulling over around the corner?' which I did," the man said.
The victim aid he got out of his car and the alleged officer made a threat.
"He was a little forceful in the beginning. I was a little afraid," the man said, "because he said the tow truck was in the lot and he could just call it and tow my car away."
He gave the victim a choice to instead pay the fine in cash. So the suspect drove the victim to an ATM at a College Point Chase Bank and collected the cash, and then dropped the victim back off.
The victim said the man was not wearing a police uniform and never showed a badge or ID.
He also noticed something else.
"While we were in the car he showed me a rash on his thigh, and then I noticed a tattoo above his ankle, on his right ankle," the victim said.
The victim now hopes others don't fall for the same scam.
Police believe the suspect in this case has probably done the same thing before, but victims may have been too embarrassed to come forward.
Anyone who might have been victimized or knows who the suspect is, is asked call police.
