Florida woman, 75, lost $25K in a fake sweepstakes — deputies say a New York flight attendant flew in and got onto her Apple Card

Destiny Blake of Brooklyn was arrested Oct. 23 at Miami International Airport after an international flight, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. She now faces several felony charges, including organizing a 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 has since been released on a $30,000 bond.

How a fake sweepstakes allegedly led to $25,000 in charges

It started with a phone call in November 2025. The voice on the other end told the 75-year-old victim that she had won a prize and needed to mail a $500 gift card to Blake at a Brooklyn address to collect her “winnings,” according to the sheriff’s office.

Around the same time as the initial call, the victim was locked out of her email account after its password was changed and the account switched to a lookalike address, investigators said.

Between Nov. 15 and Nov. 19, 2025, the woman withdrew more than $14,000 from her bank. Blake allegedly received $14,220 through cash payments and Zelle transfers.

Then, on Nov. 18, Blake used her American Airlines employee travel benefits to fly standby from New York to Daytona Beach, then took an Uber to a hotel in Palm Coast. The following morning, an Uber dropped her at the victim’s home. She left about 15 minutes later.

Investigators say Blake had become an authorized user on the woman’s Apple Card account. A family member later found a handwritten note at the home telling the victim to contact the card issuer and say Blake was her granddaughter and had permission to use the card.

From Nov. 16 to Dec. 11, investigators identified 88 transactions totaling $10,590.30. Purchases included Apple products, an eBay order delivered to Blake’s Brooklyn home, T-Mobile and Ugg purchases, salon visits and Uber rides. In total, the woman’s losses were estimated at $25,310.