NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Metro police arrested two men accused of stealing thousands of dollars from victims in scams involving payment apps in Nashville.
Experts recently told a News 2 reporter these scams occur when someone approaches you in public, claiming to need your cell phone for various reasons. Once you hand over the phone, scammers quickly open payment apps like Venmo or Zelle to send themselves money.
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According to the Metro Nashville Police Department, on Saturday, May 16, Dewaine Gordon, 19, and two juvenile teens approached a woman at the intersection of 12th Avenue South and Beechwood Avenue claiming they were seeking candy donations. Instead of accepting cash, Gordon allegedly asked for the woman’s cell phone, and sent himself $840 from her bank account.
MNPD said Gordon was involved in a similar incident that occurred early Wednesday, May 13, on lower Broadway, where he and two young men approached a tourist from Mississippi claiming to be local artists. Gordon allegedly asked the man for his cell phone, claiming he wanted to add him to their social media followers, and the man handed him the device. After they went their separate ways, the victim found that two separate transactions of $421 and $453 were made from his Apple Pay account. The victim was shown a photo lineup and positively identified Gordon.
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Gordan was booked into Metro Jail on Saturday on five charges: felony robbery, two counts of misdemeanor credit card fraud, and two counts of misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor. His bond is set at $85,000…