Pocono News Section

Accused Scammers Had List of Hundreds of Senior Citizen Names

Accused Scammers Had List of Hundreds of Senior Citizen Names - Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 5:37PM EST

Reported by: Jeff Chirico
Tuesday, Dec 18, 2007 @05:37pm EST
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY --The couple accused of scamming an elderly man out of thousands of dollars had a “target list" with hundreds of names of senior citizens, according to police testimony at a hearing Tuesday.

After the judge ruled there is enough evidence to send the case to trial he called the suspects the lowest and most ungrateful people. In November, police say a New York-area couple posed as bankers to swindle an 87-year-old man out of $10,000

The suspect, a former Marine, who's identity we're protecting, left court today after testifying that he'd been scammed out of $10,000. WBRE News spoke with him the day after it happened. The victim says "I got a phone call from the bank that its my daughter calling me. There's some checks bounced and she needed some money." Police say Valentin Lakatoz of New Jersey posed as a banker who came to the victim's house twice to collect a total of ten thousand dollars. Grace Gina Ross of New York City is accused of making the call and conspiring. Coincidentally, police had been following the pair when it happened and arrested them near Allentown.

Cops say they found more than $9300 on Lakatoz. In the van they found a phone book, two cell phones, maps and a 20-page spreadsheet containing hundreds of names, addresses and phone numbers of local senior citizens --a possible target list. Police did not say how the list was compiled or where the couple may have gotten the information.

Chaz Ballough, a Luzerne County detective not involved in this case, says it underscore the importance that seniors not keep large amounts of money in the house and be cautious when anyone asks for it. Ballough says “use a financial institution to keep your money. It is federally insured. Hopefully a lot of people will do so after hearing your story. And never give money to anyone posing as a banker. Bankers only do business at the bank.

The judge kept bail for Lakatoz and Ross at one million dollars each.