An Upper East Side NYC “Good Samaritan” was scammed when two kids, claiming they were lost, asked her if they could borrow her phone to call their mother.

Instead, they transacted $1,000 via Venmo to a business account.

Laura Grasso, 29, was minding her own business in Central Park on July 30, when two children, about 10-years-old, asked her if they could borrow her phone. Thinking the children were legitimately calling their parents, Grasso was happy to help.

The use of the phone was brief, and then the kids walked away. Grasso subsequently received a message letting her know that $1,000 had been transferred to a business account labeled “Black Lives Matter.” 

The account had a username attached to it – “@BLM201” and characterized itself as a “fun” raising company on the Venmo phone app. Due to its scammy appearance, it is assumed by police that the account is not likely affiliated with the Black Lives Matter movement. The account has been removed.

Grasso immediately called the police and was told that she was the third person that had complained about the scam that day. At first, the police didn’t want to file a complaint, blaming her for being naive and giving the kids her phone. 

“They told me, ‘You gave them your phone. It’s your fault. Why would you let a stranger use your phone?’” she said. “I definitely felt very unseen.”

Eventually, they opened up the investigation into petty larceny.  

Investigators say that it appears that the account is associated with someone in Jersey City who had 14 private successful transactions. 

Upon reflection, the East-Sider feared that they might have done something else sketchy with her phone, in addition to the $1,000 transfer, besides the Venmo transaction. 

“I was in complete shock — utter disbelief,” said Grasso, who’ll probably think twice before handing her phone over to strangers again.

Lucky for Grasso, Venmo reversed the transaction and refunded her within a few days,  after learning that the phone number associated with the website belonged to a person by the name of “Lache.”

Grasso found the incident very distressing, but was grateful she got the money back. She said she wouldn’t be so helpful in the future. 

A Venmo spokesperson said, “We take the security and privacy of all Venmo users and their information extremely seriously.”

It’s good to know that the Venmo app allows customers to enable additional security features that would prevent unauthorized use of the app, such as facial and contact recon nation. This is especially useful if a phone is stolen. 

Watch out for scams, even from 10-year-olds.