Flagler County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of Destiny Blake, a 24‑year‑old flight attendant from Brooklyn, after a lengthy investigation into a fraud scheme that cost a Palm Coast senior citizen over $25,000.
Investigation and arrest
According to the sheriff’s department, a warrant was issued on Oct. 13, 2025, roughly a year after the scam began in November 2025. Blake was apprehended late Friday at Miami International Airport while returning from overseas, following coordination with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
How the scam unfolded
The victim received a phone call from someone claiming to represent Publishers Clearing House, who told her she had won a prize and instructed her to mail a $500 gift card to “Destiny Blake” at a Brooklyn address. Shortly thereafter, the victim’s email account was compromised, with the password changed and the address altered to a look‑alike version.
Between Nov. 15 and Nov. 19, 2025, the victim withdrew more than $14,000 from her bank, and Blake received $14,220 in cash and Zelle payments. Blake then flew to Daytona Beach as a standby passenger using her flight‑attendant benefits, traveled by Uber to a hotel on State Road 100 in Palm Coast, and visited the victim’s home the next morning before departing for the Daytona Beach airport fifteen minutes later.
Unauthorized credit‑card activity
Detectives discovered that Blake had been added as an authorized user on the victim’s Apple Card. A family member later found a note instructing the victim to call the card issuer and claim Blake was her granddaughter. Between Nov. 16 and Dec. 11, 2025, 88 unauthorized charges were made on the victim’s credit cards, totaling $10,590.30.
Additional purchases tied to Blake included $1,523.16 in Apple products, over $1,300 at T‑Mobile, services at a Brooklyn hair salon, dozens of Uber rides and Uber Eats orders, and an Uber ride in Kingston, Jamaica, taken two days after she flew there while working for American Airlines.
Charges and bail
Blake faces charges of organized scheme to defraud over $20,000 from a victim 65 or older, fraudulent use of personal identification information of a person 60 or older, and grand theft over $20,000. She was released from Miami‑Dade County Jail after posting $30,000 bail.
Protecting seniors
The sheriff’s office urged anyone who may have been targeted by Blake or who has had financial contact with her to call 386‑313‑4911. They also provided step‑by‑step guidance for families caring for older adults to safeguard phones, email, computers, and bank accounts at flaglersheriff.com/senior-safety. Suspected financial exploitation can be reported to the Florida Abuse Hotline (1‑800‑962‑2873) or the U.S. Department of Justice National Elder Fraud Hotline (1‑833‑372‑8311).
Original reporting: WESH Orlando — read the source article.
