‘Scumbags’ scammed 77-year-old with Alzheimer’s out of $40,000 cash, Florida cops say
A 77-year-old man with early onset Alzheimer’s thought he mailed $40,000 to “police” in South Florida. Thankfully, real officers stepped in.
Detectives recovered the cash after they said two Ukranian nationals posing as federal law enforcement officers convinced a New Smyrna Beach man to mail them thousands in cash and money orders — or face arrest, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
The pair, identified as Andriy Dankiv and Oleh Terekh, are accused of running an elaborate phone scam operation out of a vacation home in Hollywood, Florida, WESH reported, citing police. Dankiv was arrested and charged with grand theft.
The 34-year-old was previously a professional soccer player with the Toronto Atomic FC in the Canadian Soccer League, police said. He’s not listed as a player on the team’s current roster.
A spokesperson for the football club told The Daytona Beach News-Journal that Dankiv last played during the 2016 season and “has not contacted club officials since then.”
Authorities are seeking a warrant for Terekh, who fled the country.
“Scumbag scam artists like these will probably never stop preying on the vulnerable, but in Volusia County we’ll never quit coming after them,” Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said in a statement. “Thanks to the hard work of everyone who jumped on this case, today one less victim has to lose his savings.”
Police launched an investigation Oct. 21 after the victim, who wasn’t named, said he mailed $40,000 in a shoe box to an address in Hollywood, Florida, after receiving repeated calls from “law enforcement” threatening him with arrest. Volusia County detectives reached out to Hollywood police and the Department of Homeland Security for assistance.
Hollywood police secured a warrant for Dankiv and Terekh’s vacation home after obtaining surveillance footage of UPS delivering the package.
“Execution of the search warrant resulted in the recovery of $23,000 cash and $34,000 in money orders, mostly linked to the New Smyrna Beach victim’s cash,” according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office. “Another package of $10,000 belonging to another victim was also recovered.”
It’s unclear when Dankiv will be arraigned.
This story was originally published October 28, 2021 at 6:31 PM with the headline "‘Scumbags’ scammed 77-year-old with Alzheimer’s out of $40,000 cash, Florida cops say."