The Gullible Geezer and the Grifter Girls

It began when a young woman named Reeva Johnson would just happen to turn up at the places where an elderly Bay Ridge man named Vincent routinely did his shopping in the neighborhood.

Once Johnson had cultivated a friendship with Vincent, she began giving him investment advice, telling him he needed to put his money into gold coins.

He took her advice and gave her a check for $150,000 made out to a coin dealer that she and her partner, Holly Mitchell, had recommended. He gave the women a second check for $150,000, to buy more gold coins.

The $300,000 in coins was never delivered.

At that point, Vincent's friends, who had finally figured out what was going on, called the cops.  Just in time:  Vincent was on the verge of handing over $450,000 for Holly's "kidney transplant".

Even after Reeva and Holly were arrested and charged with grand larceny, a wistful Vincent felt only regret about the way things had turned out.

The article from the New York Post.