Brooklyn flight attendant busted in $25K sweepstakes scam targeting Florida senior: police
Her wings have been clipped.A New York flight attendant has been busted for allegedly using her travel benefits to fleece a 75-year-old Florida senior of $25,000 as part of an elaborate sweepstakes scam.Brooklyn-born Destiny Blake, 24, not only allegedly spent thousands using her victim’s credit cards but also used her American Airlines standby perks to carry out her fraud spree — before being arrested at Miami airport Friday.“Most flight attendants use their benefits to see the world.Blake used hers to further a scam against a senior resident, live a lavish lifestyle using stolen bank cards and thinking she could get away with it,” Rick Staly, the Flagler County Sheriff, said in a release Tuesday.“Her wings were clipped by our detectives and with the help of [Customs and Border Protection] she was arrested.
Her next trip? Flagler County to be held accountable for her crimes.” Blake’s alleged victim lost around $25,310 in total.She was first targeted in November last year when she received a call from someone who claimed they were from Publishers Clearing House, a digital sweepstakes company, and told her she had won. In order to collect her supposed prize, she had to send a $500 gift card to a “Destiny Blake” based in Brooklyn, cops said.
It’s unclear if Blake made the call. The woman complied with the request – but she ended up getting locked out of her email account and the address was changed to something she didn’t recognize.The senior withdrew more than $14,000 from her bank in just four days – with Blake allegedly receiving $14,220 in cash and Zelle payments.Blake allegedly continued her scam against the senior even while at Daytona Beach and Charlotte airports — and even used her perks to fly to the woman’s Palm Coast home, police said.A note was also found at the victim’s home ordering her to tell her card provider that Blake was her granddaughter and allowed to use her card, according to copsThe woman’s credit card ra...