Elder Scam Thwarted By Quick-Thinking Suffolk Sergeant In Patchogue: Police

PATCHOGUE, NY — A Flushing man tried to scam a 79-year-old woman out of $10,000 after telling her there was a fraudulent PayPal charge on her bank account in Patchogue on Friday, Suffolk police said.

The woman flagged down 5th Precinct Sgt. Christopher Racioppo, who was on routine patrol, at around 1:30 p.m., telling him she was on the phone with a man who contacted her the night before by email about a fraudulent PayPal charge on her account, police said, adding that he instructed her to withdraw $10,000 from her bank account.

Believing this was a scam, Sgt. Racioppo escorted the woman to her bank in Patchogue to confirm she had not yet lost any money, then to the 5th Precinct for further investigation.

The precinct's Anti-Crime Team, Crime Section officers, and Financial Crimes detectives set up a sting operation, along with Sgt. Racioppo, who kept the man on the phone and arranged a meeting with him at a local 7-Eleven, where the man arrived in a Mercedes SUV and identified himself.

Following an investigation, he was arrested, along with a woman, who was a passenger in the Mercedes.

Taidong Lin, 46, of Flushing, was charged with third-degree attempted grand larceny, a felony, and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor. A 36-year-old Flushing woman was also charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Lin was held overnight at the 5th Precinct in Patchogue and is scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on Saturday.

The woman was issued a Desk Appearance Ticket and will be arraigned on May 4.

The investigation is continuing, police said.

Anyone who has additional information, or who believes they may have been a victim of Lin's, is asked to call Financial Crimes detectives at 631-852-6821.