Brooklyn residents targeted in youth basketball donation scam: NYPD • Brooklyn Paper

Generous Brooklynites, beware!

A recent scam has targeted people in Downtown Brooklyn, with victims losing thousands of dollars to fraudsters posing as youth basketball fundraisers.

The NYPD said four women lost nearly $7,000 in just one week after scammers approached them for donations to alleged youth basketball teams. The fraudsters used the victims’ phones to transfer money via the Zelle app.

In May, former Miss New York Briana Siaca first brought attention to the scam after losing $2,000 in a similar encounter in Manhattan. In response to a string of incidents over the summer in Central Park, the NYPD issued a warning about giving out phones or making donations via mobile payment apps without caution.

The scam has since spread to Brooklyn. The 84th Precinct, which covers Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO, Boerum Hill, and Downtown Brooklyn, received multiple reports between Nov. 4 and Nov. 10 of individuals falling victim to the scheme.

The first incident in Brooklyn was reported on Nov. 5 near Pier 6. A 27-year-old woman sitting in the area told police that three men asked her to donate to their basketball team, and after she handed over her phone, they transferred $1,500 to themselves.

Later that day, a 25-year-old woman on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade was approached by a male teen with a similar request. She reported that the teen transferred $2,000 from her account once she handed him her phone.

Around 6 p.m. outside 445 Albee Square in Downtown Brooklyn, a third victim, 32, told police a teenager asked for a $1 donation to his high school team. She said the teen transferred $1,400 from her account and threw her phone back before fleeing.

Most recently, on Nov. 8 near Pierrepont Place and Montague Street, a 26-year-old woman agreed to a small donation but later discovered that the teen had transferred $2,000 from her account without her consent.