Counterfeit Caller

by Jerry Danzig

In the afternoon of Thursday, June 13, a 96-year-old woman living on West 81st Street got a phone call from an unknown male saying he worked for the "National Crime Association" and needed her help stopping a counterfeit currency ring. He instructed the elderly woman to withdraw $25,000 in cash from her bank. The imposter then met the woman's aide in front of her building, where the aide handed cash in a plastic bag to the thief. The victim herself never saw the man. The imposter later called the old woman to thank her for her cooperation and assured her that her money would be deposited back into her account. There were no cameras in front of her building to photograph the incident.