Catskill man charged in $22,000 fraud scheme

BETHLEHEM―A Catskill man allegedly impersonated a bank employee and ultimately scammed a victim out of more than $22,000.

Donovan J. May II, 28, is facing felony charges following his arrest on Friday, January 16 by the Bethlehem Police Department.

The investigation began after a Delmar resident reported receiving a phone call from an individual claiming to be with the Citizens Bank Fraud Department.

The caller, later identified as May, 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, police said.

The victim was instructed to cut up their debit cards, place them in an envelope with a return address in West Coxsackie and send the envelope via a Uber driver, police said.

Over the next several days, multiple ATM withdrawals were made from the victim’s account, totaling more than $22,000, police said.

Following a joint investigation with the North Greenbush Police Department and the United States Probation Office, May was arrested and charged with third-degree grand larceny, first-degree identity theft and fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, all felonies.

May was arraigned in Town of Bethlehem Court and remanded to the Albany County Correctional Facility in lieu of bail.

The Bethlehem Police Department urges anyone who believes they may have been a victim of a similar scam to contact them at 518-439-9973.

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