New York Woman Arrested for Palm Coast Elderly Scam

A flight attendant from New York has been arrested in connection to a scam against an elderly Palm Coast resident, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday. 24-year-old Destiny Blake, who resides in Brooklyn and works for American Airlines, was taken into custody in Miami-Dade County. The victim is said to have lost a total of $25,310. According to the FCSO, Blake has been in contact with the 75-year-old victim since November 2025. That’s when she was said to have called telling the woman she won a sweepstakes from Publishers Clearing House. In order to claim the prize, the victim was instructed to send a $500 gift card through the mail to a Brooklyn address. After the victim mailed the gift card, the FCSO says she was locked out of her email account. The password to the account was changed and “the account switched to look-a-like address she never created”, the FCSO said. In the five days from November 15 to 19, 2025, Blake is accused of withdrawing $14,220 from the victim’s bank account. These funds arrived to Blake in forms of cash and payments through Zelle. During this period, on November, 18, Blake reportedly booked a flight from New York City to Daytona Beach with her job benefits. After arriving in Daytona Beach, Blake was said to have taken an Uber to a hotel on SR-100 in Palm Coast. The following day she reportedly took another Uber from the hotel to the victim’s home. Blake’s arrival was said to be shortly before 11:00 a.m. She was then picked up by another Uber, which took her back to the Daytona Beach International Airport. Purchases were made with the victim’s credit card both at that airport and at another in Charlotte, North Carolina. Investigators have formed a theory on how Blake withdrew money from the victim’s bank account. She’s accused of connecting her own Apple Card to the account and making herself an authorized user. A relative of the victim reportedly found a note in her home instructing her to call her credit card company telling them that Blake was her granddaughter. Thus, she would be considered a legitimate user of the credit card. The FCSO details 88 charges that occurred between November 16 and December 11, 2025. These charges amounted to $10,590.30, all from the victim’s credit cards. An order was placed on eBay to be delivered to Blake’s address in Brooklyn. $1,740.91 was spent on Apple products alone. Blake is also accused of spending over $1,300 on T-Mobile, Ugg, a hair salon in Brooklyn, and ‘dozens’ of rides with Uber and orders from Uber Eats. One of these Uber rides was purchased in Kingston, Jamaica using Jamaican currency. That occurred two days following a flight Blake took to Kingston on the job with American Airlines, the FCSO says. According to detectives, the orders online were placed in Blake’s name using her email address and phone number. Surveillance video was obtained allegedly showing Blake making a purchase at a supermarket in Queens, New York. Analysis of Blake’s phone records corroborated the theory that she was near these stores when the transactions occurred. The investigation into Blake led to an arrest warrant on October 13, 2026. On Friday, October 23, she was taken into custody by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Blake has been charged with organized scheme to defraud over $20,000 from a victim 65 or older, fraudulent usage of personal identification information of a person 60 or older, and grand theft over $20,000. She was booked into the Miami-Dade County Jail and later released on $30,000 bond. “Most flight attendants use their benefits to see the world. Blake used her’s to further a scam against a senior resident, live a lavish lifestyle using stolen bank cards and thinking she could get away with it,” commented Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly. “Her wings were clipped by our detectives and with the help of CPB she was arrested. Her next trip? Flagler County to be held accountable for her crimes.” The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office endorses multiple resources for elders who believe they’ve been scammed or are concerned about being scammed. The agency has instructions to protect sensitive information online. Also available is the 24-hour Florida Abuse Hotline (1-800-962-2873), as well as the U.S. Department of Justice National Elder Fraud Hotline (1-833-372-8311). Those who believe they too may have been victimized by a scam involving Destiny Blake are asked to contact the FCSO at (386)-313-4911.