Linden police are investigating a series of scams targeting senior citizens in the area after the latest incident involving a 89-year-old woman who was nearly scammed for $7,900. The suspect has supposedly been targeting senior citizens in grocery store parking lots as they try to get into their car. According to police, he tells them something is wrong with their car and that he could fix it no problem; but here is the catch – he charges an exorbitant amount of money to perform the services.
In the latest occurrence, which took place around 10:30 a.m. in the ShopRite parking lot in Linden, New Jersey, the man approached the elderly woman and told her that her car was making a strange noise. He then leaned into her driver seat area and pulled out the computer chip located beneath the dashboard and told her it was malfunctioning and needed to be replaced. He also told her the good news was he could fix it for the reasonable price of $7,900 – obviously the “senior-citizens discount”.
The woman took the bait, hook line and sinker, and had the man accompany her to the local bank to withdraw the money from her account. However, a bank teller became suspicious of the transaction and flagged the transaction and called the police. No money was withdrawn but by the time police arrived the mystery man had vanished.
This type of supposed business transaction wouldn’t just be a bad deal – it actually serves as a great example of theft by deception under 2C:20-4. Theft by deception is a broad statute that covers an entire array of acts and the crime can commonly be applicable when a victim enters into a financial agreement because of misrepresentations of the defendant that then results in a financial loss to the victim. It is important to note, that although the suspect didn’t succeed in obtaining any money from the elderly woman, he would still be guilty of conspiracy for theft by deception if the state was able to prove the facts of the case. Theft by deception is a serious criminal offense and can often be an indictable crime (felony) if the alleged loss is valued at $200 or more. Therefore, it is always to contact an experienced Elizabeth NJ Theft by Deception Lawyer if you or your loved has been charged with theft by deception.
