Police warned of a likely widespread ATM scam as they hunt for a trio of thieves who have stolen at least $70,000 out of the bank accounts of trusting seniors in an Upper East Side spree.
Two men and a woman were captured by surveillance cameras at the scenes of three of at least nine similar crimes that ran from May 8 through June 26 at Chase Bank, Bank of America, Capital One and Citibank locations.
The Chase Bank on York Avenue near East 79th Street was chosen by the scammers three times, authorities said.
There, they were able to steal almost $24,000 from an 86-year-old woman’s bank around 11:30 a.m. June 19 — their biggest loot from any of their scams, police said.
They wiped $20,000 from a 90-year-old woman’s bank account, and $3,000 from an 83-year-old woman at that same bank on May 14, in two separate thefts an hour apart, cops said.
In a June 2 scheme, a 71-year-old man was distracted by one of the scammers who tried to chat with him as he withdrew money at Chase Bank on East 90th Street near Third Avenue around 11 a.m., cops said.
The scammer subtly swiped the card from the machine without the septuagenarian noticing and fled to another Chase Bank on Third Avenue near East 106th Street in East Harlem, police said.
There the alleged thief met up with another man, and attempted to withdraw $5,500, cops said.
An hour later, the 71-year-old noticed his card was missing and discovered over $6,000 in unauthorized chargers on his account.
In at least one of the cases, cops believe the scammers offered to help their victims use the ATM, before swiping their cards.
The nine robberies unfolded between May and June at Chase Bank, Bank of America, Capital One and Citibank locations. Other thieves may be involved in the spree, according to police.
None of the elderly New Yorkers targeted were injured.
There have been over 750 grand larcenies — a felony that includes credit card theft — in the precinct that covers the Upper East Side this year, up 5.2% from last year.
