A 75-year-old Florida woman thought she had won a drawing. Instead, investigators say, she lost more than $25,000 in a scheme that began after a caller posing as a Publishers Clearing House representative convinced her to pay to collect her prize.
But the alleged scam wasn’t limited to cash and gift cards. Investigators say a 24-year-old New York flight attendant flew to Florida, went to the woman’s home and gained access to her Apple Card account. She allegedly spent thousands of dollars using a card linked to the victim’s account.
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Destiny Blake of Brooklyn was arrested Oct. 23 at Miami International Airport after an international flight, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. She now faces several criminal charges, including organizing a scheme to defraud a victim 65 years of age or older out of more than $20,000, fraudulent use of the personal identifying information of a person 60 years of age or older, and grand theft of more than $20,000. She has since been released on $30,000 bail.
How a fake drawing would have resulted in $25,000 in fees
It all started with a phone call in November 2025. The voice on the other end told the 75-year-old victim that she had won a prize and that she needed to send a $500 gift card to Blake at an address in Brooklyn to collect her “winnings,” according to the sheriff’s office.
Around the same time as the initial call, the victim no longer had access to her email account after her password was changed and the account moved to a similar address, investigators said.
Between November 15 and 19, 2025, the woman withdrew more than $14,000 from her bank. Blake allegedly received $14,220 in cash payments and Zelle transfers.
Then, on November 18, Blake used his American Airlines travel benefits to fly standby from New York to Daytona Beach, then took an Uber to a Palm Coast hotel. The next morning, an Uber dropped her off at the victim’s home. She left about 15 minutes later.
Investigators say Blake had become an authorized user of the woman’s Apple Card account. A family member later found a handwritten note at the home asking the victim to contact the card issuer and tell them that Blake was her granddaughter and that she had permission to use the card.
From November 16 to December 11, investigators identified 88 transactions totaling $10,590.30. Purchases included Apple products, an eBay order delivered to Blake’s Brooklyn home, T-Mobile and Ugg purchases, salon visits and Uber rides. In total, the woman’s losses were estimated at $25,310.
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What Adding an Authorized User to Your Credit Card Really Means
An authorized user gets their own card, but the account still belongs to the primary cardholder. This means that purchases made by anyone on the account appear on the same bill – and the primary cardholder is usually responsible for paying them. Basically, you can hand someone a card without making them responsible for the charges.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. For example, parents can add a teenager to help them learn how credit works or someone can give a partner or family member a card for everyday spending. The arrangement depends on whether the primary cardholder is comfortable with how that person will use it.
In this case, investigators say Blake went much further, using the victim’s Apple card to make purchases worth several thousand dollars after accessing the account.
The woman was also allegedly given instructions on what to tell the card issuer about Blake’s relationship with her. If someone asks you to add it to your account as part of a supposed prize claim, that’s a good reason to stop and call your card issuer directly. Use the number on the back of your card or on the issuer’s official website rather than the number provided by the caller.
The Federal Trade Commission also warns that legitimate sweepstakes do not charge winners for collecting a prize. If someone asks for a gift card, cash, wire transfer, or your financial information, you can be sure the price isn’t what it says it is. In this case, the woman was asked to send a $500 gift card before the alleged scam took an even more costly turn.
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This article provides information only and should not be considered advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
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