Authorities Stop Alleged PayPal Scam Before Elderly NY Victim Loses $20K

Welfare Check in Upstate, NY Stops $20,000 Scam

The Saratoga County Sheriff's Office and Homeland Security Investigators were called to a welfare check in the Town of Moreau.

When they arrived the came in contact with an elderly individual.

According to a press release, the Saratoga County Sheriff's Office got there right in time. The elderly individual who answered the door "appeared to be distressed."

The woman was holding a cellphone at her side which looked like it was on a "live call." She told investigators that the was getting picked up by a friend and would talk to them later.

The report states that investigators then "quietly advised the woman that they believed she was being scammed." That's when the victim informed law enforcement someone was on their way to pick up $20,000 in cash.

Upstate, NY Scammers Pose as PayPal Employees

How did the scam unfold?

The victim told law enforcement that the scammers posed as PayPal employees. They were able to convince her to download a "remote access app on her computer and mobile phone."

That's gave the scammers access to "change things on her computer and see through her web camera. This then gave the scammers the opportunity to convince the victim "that they had mistakenly given her too much money when refunding the bogus purchase."

The scammers then convinced the victim to ship $20,000 in cash, hidden in books, to California. There was also an attempt to send virtual cryptocurrency through a machine in Massachusetts.

The elderly victim could not complete the transaction.

When that transaction didn't work, the scammers planned for someone to come to the woman's home and pick up the money. That's when HSI and the Saratoga County Sheriff's Office stepped in.

They're arrival derailed the scam, saving the victim from losing $20,000. The Saratoga County Sheriff's Office writes:

It was later discovered that the courier had shown up soon after the arrival of the investigator and special agent and left the area before being detected. The investigation is ongoing.

Protect Yourself from Online Money Scams

While this may seem like an unusual scam, the Saratoga County Sheriff's Office state that this is "just one example of the fraudulent activity targeting our elderly residents."

According to their data, in April 2026 they were able to "intercept and return over $433,000, in stolen scam funds."

With that being said, the Saratoga County Sheriff's Office will offer community outreach programs for Saratoga County residents.

So far there are programs schedule. You can find more information below: