Credit Card Scam Gone Wrong Leads To Arrests In New York’s Capital Region

These days, it feels like scams take the form of anything you can think of. Free sports tickets, false credit card statements, IRS banging on your door, you never know what is attempting to steal your money and information.

A recent scam unfolded in the Capital region, and they would have gotten away with it too had luck been on their side.

FDIC Scam

This all started in mid-October, when a Glenmont resident received a call from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), or at least, that's what they thought.

They were told by the man on the phone that their bank account had been compromised, and they needed to follow a very specific set of instructions in order to remedy the issue. They were to place their debit card inside an envelope, place that envelope inside their mailbox, and wait.

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The Arrests

Once the envelope was placed within the mailbox, the victim was told an unmarked white vehicle (always a sign of trustworthy people) would retrieve the package and set everything right. Well, when a white 2016 Nissan SUV pulled up to the curb, it seemed like everything would be set straight.

That is, until Bethlehem Police, who had been monitoring the situation, pulled the vehicle over shortly after. Officers arrested two men, Bailey C. Martinez, age 24 and Deamonte E. Brown, age 25. The two were charged with Attempted Grand Larceny 4th and Conspiracy 6th and released on probation. They are set to return to court on November 18th.

If you believe you have seen or heard of a similar scam, please contact the Bethlehem Police Department at (518) 439-9973.