Police: Fla. Man Caught Running Auto Repair Con Game On 80-Year-old Nanuet Man

If someone approaches you in a parking lot offering to fix a dent on your car for a very low price, police warn that you may be the target of a common scam that is frequently aimed at elderly drivers, women drivers and very young drivers.

In the latest occurrence, Clarkstown police say an 80-year-old Nanuet man discovered that nearly $1,000 was missing from his bank account for what was supposed to be a $400 fix of a minor dent. Although many similar scam incidents go without an arrest, police say this time a Florida man has been hit with theft and hate crime charges.

Sgt. Harry Baumann said that on Friday at about 2 p.m., police received a complaint about a “flim-flam” incident in the parking lot of the Nanuet Pathmark off Route 59. The 80-year-old Nanuet man told police he was approached by a man asking if he wanted to have a dent repaired.

Baumann said the victim agreed to have the work done in the parking lot. When the work was supposedly completed, the Florida man drove the victim to an ATM machine to get cash. Baumann said the victim had a problem using the ATM and the Florida man offered to help.

The Florida man, Baumann said, withdrew money from the ATM but told the victim that the machine was not working. They then went to a second ATM, where more money was obtained, Baumann said.

Police said the arrest of Nicholas Laray, 39, of Hollywood, FL, came about because the victim was then told more work was needed to be done on the car. Police said Laray agreed with the victim to meet on Saturday to complete the work.

When the victim arrived home on Friday, police said he was suspicious and checked with the bank and was told $956 was withdrawn from his account. The victim then called Clarkstown police, who were waiting for Laray when he arrived to do more work on the Nanuet man’s car.

Laray was arrested and then arraigned in New City by Clarkstown Town Judge Howard Gerber, who ordered Laray held in the county jail on $15,000 bail pending a hearing on Wednesday. Laray is charged with petty larceny, but Baumann said the charge was filed as a felony under a 2010 state law that makes it a hate crime to specifically target an individual based on age, race or religion.

Baumann said the latest flim-flam incident is one of a rash of similar incidents that have taken place in Clarkstown and other Rockland County communities during the year.

“If you think you’re getting something for nothing, you’re not,” said Baumann, warning members of the community to use extreme caution when they are approached by a stranger offering what sounds like a good deal or to perform a professional service at what seems like a price that is just too low to be true.

Baumann said that once a victim is hooked, con artists use tactics designed to confuse and intimidate victims into giving them more money than was agreed upon for a service — such as fixing a dent.

Last week, police in Stony Point warned of two other scams that had proven very costly to local residents. One involves what turns out to be a bogus check that comes in the mail, requiring the recipient to deposit the check and then return part of it or to pay a fee through Western Union. The victim ends up having to cover the cost of the bogus check, and loses any money that was sent by wire – usually to another country.

Another scam involves an elderly person receiving a telephone or e-mail plea from someone posing as a relative — often a grandchild — who claims to need bail money after being wrongfully arrested in a foreign country.

Orangetown police said they have recently heard from numerous elderly town residents saying they have received letters or e-mails trying to lure them into similar scams.

“Fortunately, just about all of the residents I spoke too have recognized it as a scam and have not sent any money,” said Sgt. Rob Ruggiero. “I suspect there are people who have sent money and are too embarrassed to come forward and report it to us.”