79-year-old woman loses $250,000 to scammer posing as PayPal representative and tricked into buying gold coins

Summary

A 79-year-old woman from Massapequa was scammed out of more than $250,000 by a Staten Island man, according to Nassau police. The victim called a number she believed was linked to a PayPal email, but it was a scam. She was then tricked into purchasing gold coins three times, with someone coming to her home each time to collect the coins. Detectives identified the suspect as 49-year-old Siarhei Radyna, who was arrested following an extensive investigation. Police noted that while recovering scam funds is difficult, email and phone number traces helped in this case. Authorities are urging residents to remain alert and report suspected scams.