BETHLEHEM, NY — The Bethlehem Police Department arrested a man Friday in connection with a fraud scheme that resulted in the theft of more than $22,000 from a Delmar resident’s bank account.
Donovan J. May II, 28, of Catskill, New York, was taken into custody Jan. 16.
The investigation began after the victim reported receiving a phone call from an individual claiming to be an employee of the Citizens Bank Fraud Department.
The caller questioned the victim about alleged fraudulent debit card charges and, during the conversation, obtained personal and banking information that allowed unauthorized access to the victim’s account.
The victim was instructed to cut up their debit cards, place them in an envelope with a return address in West Coxsackie, New York, and send the envelope via an Uber driver.
Over the following several days, multiple ATM withdrawals were made from the victim’s account, totaling more than $22,000.
Following a joint investigation with the Town of North Greenbush Police Department and the United States Probation Office, May was charged with grand larceny in the 3rd degree, identity theft in the 1st degree and criminal possession of stolen property in the 4th degree.
May was arraigned in the Town of Bethlehem Court and remanded to the Albany County Correctional Facility in lieu of bail.
A return court date has been scheduled for Feb. 17.
The Bethlehem Police Department urges anyone who believes they may have been a victim of a similar scam to contact the department at (518) 439-9973.
