Lakewood, NJ – Yeshiva Student That Masterminded Of Sweepstakes Scam Arrested

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    Lakewood, NJ – A Lakewood yeshiva student who masterminded a sweepstakes scam has been caught, police said, but the Clifton senior citizen who fell victim to the con is still out $35,700.

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    On May 30, a 78-year-old Clifton resident came into police headquarters to report that he had been the victim of a sweepstakes fraud, police Detective Capt. Robert Rowan said Thursday.

    The man said that on May 15 he received a call from a man purporting to be a lawyer named Richard Stevens.

    Stevens told the victim he was the second-place winner in a sweepstakes and had won $500,000.

    To obtain the money, the caller said, he needed to send a security deposit of $8,300 through Federal Express mail to an address in Lakewood.

    The man did so, only to receive a call the next day from an individual who identified himself as Stevens.

    Stevens told the Clifton man that the grand prize winner turned out not to be an American citizen and that he was now the grand prize winner. But now he needed to send $16,600 more for security in order to obtain the $1 million prize.

    The Clifton man complied.

    On May 19, the man received another call from Stevens, who said that a mistake had been made and he needed another $5,000. Later, a man called describing himself as a courier and asking that the man send $3,500 to cover the insurance for the winnings and $2,300 to Toronto for additional insurance.

    The Clifton man complied on all three counts.

    Later in the month, after not receiving any money, he reported the incidents to the police. Clifton Detective Robert Tillie tracked the Federal Express delivery to the Beth Medrash Govoha yeshiva in Lakewood.

    The yeshiva managers cooperated with investigators, who concluded that the man picking up the packages was E. J., a 23-year-old student at the yeshiva.

    Clifton police arrested Mr. J. Wednesday.

    “I would take this opportunity to warn people not to send any kind of money to anyone under any circumstances,” said Rowan. “If you won money, you shouldn’t be paying money.”

    Rowan said the Clifton department is currently working with Lakewood police and the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office to see if any of the money can be recovered.


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    81 Comments
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    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    crazy story, how does this guy expect to get married now??!!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    I tried this on my shver and it didnt work.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    You are worried about how is going to get married, you are DUMB as the perpatrator. We should be worried about what is being taught in our religous schools. Instead of teaching young men & women Torah values and how to earn an HONEST living by getting a job, we are teaching them that it is ok for a wife to support the family, that it is ok to mooch of their parents and worst of all it is ok to be involved in get rich schemes and take welfare, food stamps and still wear a Borsalino Hat, with the fanciest of carriges, etc, etc. Get REAL.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    if he is rich he will find a good shiduch, money is money,

    if he did it to this guy, you could imagine how many other people got caught up in his scam.

    this man that was fleeced cant be too smart.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Yiddiskeit has completely broken down.Our so called gedolim are only worried about concerts and other shtusim.When are they going to wake up to what’s really going on?

    a yid
    a yid
    15 years ago

    to 1:09 (2)

    i think it may have been a joke

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Don’t any of you believe in forgivness? The Suspect if convicted will pay his debt to society, Hopefully ask forgivness from Hashem and the victims and hopefully begin a new life.

    mr.49er
    mr.49er
    15 years ago

    P.T. Barnum said a long time ago ” THERE’S A SUCKER BORN EVERY MINUTE ” .

    PT Barnum
    PT Barnum
    15 years ago

    I told you, a sucker is born every minute. What was this alta kaker thinking?! They should lock him up for impersonating a person all these years. I wonder how many times Ed McMahon came to his front door, or the bunny, or Claus? Shall I continue?

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Quite frankly I don’t feel bad for that idiot who fell for the scam. I have a klal, if anyone calls me to tell me that I have won any type of lottery or sweepstakes, I will tell them, send me the cheque. thats it. If you are so gulable enough as to fall prey to a scam like this, you are a fool and deserve no sympathy.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    I am invovled in helping this buchor out and just 2 let u know he was set up by a freind and the police r working as we talk on tracking down the real criminal

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    So he was asked by someone else to stand there and wait for the package?

    mr.49er
    mr.49er
    15 years ago

    yeah, yeah, every body was ‘set up’, he didn’t know what he was doing, just like those bochurim in japan, hashem yerachem…

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Rachmonus – all he wanted was to put away money so that he could stay in Kolel after his chasuna. He was truly sensitive, in that he didn’t want it to fall on his parents and in-laws. He surely wasn’t going to be chas v’sholom a “balle bus” and chalila go to work – then his kids wouldn’t be able to get into a yeshiva in Lakewood. I am sure you understand. Good chinuch!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    We gotta be dan lekaf zechus!!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    I heard this all b4. when it comes to a frum guy he is alays innocent and always set up. No matter how henious the crime is whether it is scamming, molesting, phony doctors, they are always innocent. The only real criminals are goyim. We are all perfect . When will everyone wake up and smell the cofee .

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    he was told there was tzedaka money money coming 2 yeshivas address and all he had 2 do was pick it up from the mail room and give it 2 some1 in lakewood

    Kotler
    Kotler
    15 years ago

    To Anon 1:57

    He’ll have an opportunity to tell it to the Judge!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    LIES LIES LIES!!! the goyishe anti semitic media together with the zionists has once again aimed to defile our holy Torah institutions!

    This boy is innocent! Yeshiva boys in Lakewood dont do such things!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    To all those commenting on the victim,

    How dare you? This isn’t the way of the torah!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    the rabbonim r being consulted and when they give a psak the name of the tzedaka that set this bochur up will be released 2 the public

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    study T.B. Shabbos 139a & Kovetz Maamorim “Omer Ani Maase LaMelech”

    why lakew00d looks like it does

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    I have no idea whether or not this bochur is guilty, and indeed we have a chiyuv to judge him favorably. That said, it would not be surprising to hear such a story, as the Talmud tells out in black and white – “One who does not teach his son a trade, it is as though he has taught him thievery.” But apparently some people think they know better than Chazal.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    I know for a fact that he was innocent. The police are not bothering him anymore.He is a very choshuve bochur,he would never do such a thing.

    Boruch
    Boruch
    15 years ago

    It behooves us to increase the vigilance we already observe to ever decrease the amount of exposure to the outside world. That way, when charlatans of any ilk show up with sob stories or wild claims, we can be victimized.

    murray
    murray
    15 years ago

    Sounds a lot like a plot hatched in Nigeria. I get emails like this all the time “you ave won….”

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    No Lakewood bochur would be fool enough to have scammed money sent to the yeshiva. It is obvious he is is not the culprit.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    if this boy had been a talmid in YU and not lakewood would everyone here be just as generous?

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    And which 78 year old would think he won a sweepstakes he did not participate in? This guy should be locked up for being utterly stupid.

    Homey
    Homey
    15 years ago

    I’m glad BMG cooperated in catching this creep, and didn’t have any misguided notions of it being “mesira” or “chilul Hashem” as so many other misguided do-gooders have.

    OBER CHUCHIM
    OBER CHUCHIM
    15 years ago

    what a chilul hashem when will people learn to educate themselves and their kids 1)not to do favors for people not only in the airport 2) an education to get a job 3)and if they wanto do somthig wrong not endanger the whole community

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    FACT this bachur was doing a favor for someone eo asked him to pick up a letter from the BMG mailroom he was used by the sick people that are running this scam he is innocent and is being consulted by rabbanim how to deal with the authorities.evreything else is just lies and fabrications he was cleared b y the cops watch your words think of it as if someone in your immidiete family was used as a pawn in a scam.

    Oy Gevald
    Oy Gevald
    15 years ago

    GENIUS FUNDRAISING!!!

    What a concept! This guy has a great future ahead of him, just watch!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    wait for all the facts.

    the bochour is a 100% INNOCENT.

    he is only guilty of being a tmimusdicker .

    in the meantime dont do favors if you don’t

    know everrything.

    Mitzapim Liyushas Hashem
    Mitzapim Liyushas Hashem
    15 years ago

    if the velt will stop glorifying people with lots of money , these types of stories would happen less frequently. Money comes from Hashem only ,not through hard labor, being smart, agressive etc. If a person has a lot of money it doesnt mean he is doing the rotzon Hashem any ways. We do not see how or why Hashem grants money , more or less to someone . So wealth shouldnt give a person any more respect than his poor neighbor. Ashirus D’kidusha is a different story.

    Homey
    Homey
    15 years ago

    This guy and his Lakewood neighbor Ernie really made a terrible Chillul Hashem for which there is zero kappora, hard as that may be for people to hear. I just hope that sliver of hope some of you are posting is true, that he may have been set up, for his soul’s sake. I don’t think we can say the same for Ernie though.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Old people are vurnable to this kind of scams.

    Advice:1.Shut the phone down immedeatly 2.Dont let anybody in your house unless you ordered him or he has an proven id.

    BP
    BP
    15 years ago

    Would of been a chasidishe boocher from a chasidishe yeshiva there would of been a lot of comments

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    The real criminal is the one who used this innocent bochur, knowing well that he would do anything to help out a tzeddaka. The question is who is this crook? Does he belong to the yeshiva community? He is the one deserving the punishment. It is a terrible chillul Hashem. When he is caught he should be made to pay back every penny to his victim. Of course, if one is told he won a sweepstakes, he shouldn’t even think of shelling out anything to collect his winnings. That alone should make him suspect it as being a fraud. (Also at the airport never take packages from strangers even if they look frum, it could be drugs and you’ll be the one they arrest.)

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Earlier this year we had the “Best Goy in Lakewood,” now we have the “best Gonef in Lakewood”. What next?

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    1, Don’t blame the victim. It can happen to anybody that lives longer than their mental abilities.

    2, If indeed the bocher is a victim it shows that real morons can and do thrive at BMG. Any fool or crook can go to BMG.

    3, Do you really need a psak to allow you to cooperate with the Police in this type of case. I would think that when you are essentially being framed for something you did not do it is not mesira and you should cooperate.

    This not Psak is recomended for me only and you do what ever you feel is right.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    To Anon.  test:03PM,

    Thank you for expanding on what I posted earlier  

    2:29PM!

    Heshy
    Heshy
    15 years ago

    When I was in Lakewood (35 years ago) we didn’t think up these kinds of scams, (especially moving him into the 1st prize)! Kol hakovod! I’m calling my Trust Atty to increase my bequest to BMG! Good “chopp”!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    1:31, you are so nice. I bet when you turn 78 you may get duped too. It comes with the territory. Elderly people are more vulnerable than young people.

    Alexander Esq.
    Alexander Esq.
    15 years ago

    Don’t blame the victim, there is no heter to steal from dummies in my shulchan aruch. Five years ago we had a nice recently married yungleman take a suit case to Paris via his trip to Israel and Yeshiva learning and he was given a free ticket or two to hand over the suitcase in the airport. Yep it was full of cocaine, he and his pregnant wife went to jail. I think they let her out before she gave birth but he sat around three years. Being a patsy or putting your head in the ground will not work in court. Unfortunately from my line of business I know unzerer chevra think the FBI and police are no smarter than the local auto mechanic. That is until they get arrested.

    Amputee
    Amputee
    15 years ago

    Obviously, no one here has ever taken care of an elderly person who has impaired functioning. Get with it, older people become impaired. It is the responsibility of children to make sure they are not taken by housekeepers, lawyers, and cranks. It is a challenge to do so while still being mechabed one’s parents. Everyone that commented on the stupidity of the 78 year old should go out and do some chessed. Visit some nursing homes, hospital icu’s. Don’t just leave it to the high school girls. I for one am horrified and would join up with 99 others to give $357 to try to undo this horrific horrific chillul Hashem. We should be marbeh kavod shamayim not darshening about how stupid the guy is.. How about it? There are 42 comments thus far.. Vos Iz Neias editor, do you want to coordinate? This could be the whole tachlis of your website, umi yodeah im laAis kazos…

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    I think if the rabbunim would allow to eat strawberry’s again it would help, cause since the strawberry’s was banned people are going NUTS

    bigwheeel
    bigwheeel
    15 years ago

    MR./MS. Anon. 1:09PM You have great ideas of how to improve the [Torah] world. But, did you [ever] learn to spell [English]?!?!?! CARRIAGE/S is spelled thusly, NOT CARRIGES!!!

    Dag
    Dag
    15 years ago

    to me this is simple…Daas Torah or not, people who get their salary from a communal organization are by definition, Nogaih Bdavar and their judgment HAS TO CONFIRMED by a board with no vested financial interest.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    we must daven for the yid and hope that he will do teshuva and learn from his mistakes because he is going to be in a very unhappy place

    ad mosai