Yonkers Police Warn on Four New Scam Tactics
State data shows imposter fraud remains a top category, with specific risks for seniors and online investors.
By Christopher Singh ·
Yonkers police advise residents to hang up immediately when a caller claims to be an officer demanding payment, but officials note that simple phone scams are only part of the threat. The department recently briefed seniors at the Bernice Spreckman Center and the Chema Center on four distinct fraud patterns that require specific countermeasures. These tactics range from fake government investigators to online romance scams that use stolen identities.
The Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2024 reports that New Yorkers filed 278,662 fraud reports in 2024. Imposter scams accounted for 11 percent of those complaints, ranking third behind credit bureau issues and identity theft. Reported losses in the state totaled $534.0 million, with a median loss of $429 per victim. The state ranked 13th in reports per 100,000 residents. The New York Attorney General’s office added 17,794 reports to this database, a figure not included in the FTC’s initial state count.
National data released in June 2026 indicates a rising trend. People reported losing $3.5 billion to imposter scams, with nearly one in three fraud reports involving an imposter. Government impersonators took $920 million, while business impersonators took nearly $1 billion. Fake bank staff represented the costliest segment of business impersonation fraud.
The first local warning involves officers or officials who set payment deadlines. Yonkers police note that scammers spoof the department’s headquarters number, (914) 377-7900. The department states it will never call to demand payment or make threats. In August 2026, the state Attorney General warned about gold bar scams that begin with a computer pop-up. Victims are persuaded to buy gold and hand it to a courier. The NYPD investigated more than 100 such cases over two years, with losses exceeding $100 million.
Another tactic is the fake family emergency. The FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Report details over $5 million lost to scams using cloned voices. Victims are advised to agree on a family code word in person. The fourth method, known as pig butchering, involves a slow build of trust via social media. The Attorney General’s February 2026 alert notes that scammers often use photos taken from other people’s profiles.
To verify online identities, the Attorney General recommends using reverse image search tools like Google Lens or TinEye. Users should crop the profile photo to show only one face and run it through a face search engine. This process compares the face against public web pages. A match on a model’s portfolio or stock photo site indicates a fake profile. A live video call is a stronger test, though officials caution that video can also be faked.
Kelly Chiarella, director of the Yonkers Office for the Aging, stated in January that communication is a one-way street. If contact comes to you, do not trust it. Residents should save all texts, call logs, and screenshots before reporting. Yonkers Police can be reached at (914) 377-7900, and the New York Attorney General’s office accepts complaints at ag.ny.gov or via phone at 1-800-771-7755.
