Bronx Man Arrested for Stealing $28,000 From Center Moriches Woman in Phone Scam

A Bronx man was arrested Tuesday on charges of grand larceny after Suffolk County police said he stole thousands of dollars from a Center Moriches woman through a phone scam last fall. Servando Ruiz Cuenca, 45, of Barretto Street in the Bronx, was taken into custody at 7:38 a.m. with assistance from the New York Police Department's warrants squad, Suffolk County police said. He was charged with third-degree grand larceny and was held overnight at the Third Precinct pending arraignment at First District Court in Central Islip on May 27. According to police, the 65-year-old victim received a phone call on Sept. 30 from a man claiming to be a Chase bank representative who said her account had been compromised. She was instructed to transfer $44,000 into another account. Shortly after, withdrawals totaling $28,000 were made at two Chase bank branches in New Jersey, police said. The woman reported the incident immediately, and financial crimes unit detectives recovered $16,000 that had not yet been withdrawn. Detectives identified Ruiz Cuenca as responsible for the thefts, police said. Anyone who believes they have been a victim of a similar scam is asked to contact the Suffolk County Police Department's financial crimes unit at 631-852-6821.