Police all across Long Island, New York, are actively searching for a male grifter who’s low enough to exploit his young daughter in a con scheme. The little girl went door-to-door taking advance cash-only orders for Girl Scout cookies. They never had any intention of coming back with the thin mints.
Police probe cookie hustle
As related by the Suffolk County Police Department, an “unidentified man, accompanied by his daughter, sparked an investigation” after nearly a dozen residents complained. Christina Malinchak of Shirley was one of them.
“I was bamboozled,” she told local reporters. “I got scammed and it’s a shame.” She’s not alone. “At least 11 residents said they gave them money to buy Girl Scout cookies — but never received the Thin Mints or Trefoils they desired.” The Girl Scouts promises to make it up to them.
Police still have no idea who the man is but they hope a doorbell camera or two will give them the clues they need.
Reports of the cookie con have been rolling in from across the island, as orders fail to appear as promised. The big problem is that the dodgy duo made their rounds a while ago.
In a formal statement, Suffolk police advise that “during some of the incidents, the money was given to a male adult accompanied by a female child and in others, it was a female child alone.”
The folks calling in reports understand that more than half of them were “for documentation purposes only.” That means don’t expect them to ever catch the pair.
A girl about 5 or 6
Another one of the victims, Kevin Zasowski of Patchogue, told police he “bought cookies from a girl who was about 5 or 6 after she approached him at his home. He gave her $20 for four boxes while the man, who he said was the girl’s father, stayed on the street.” Smoking. The cigarettes were probably paid for with cookie money and that really cheesed off the homeowner.
“It’s not the money. It’s not the cookies. It’s what this gentleman is teaching his daughter. A life of crime — The real victim is that little girl.”
The Girl Scouts Council of Suffolk County was appalled when they were contacted by police. They quickly promised “they would give boxes of cookies to anyone who might’ve been tricked.”
In their official statement they announced how “saddened” they were to “learn that somebody would use the inherent good will of the Girl Scouts to take money from their neighbors under false pretenses.” They want the guy caught.
“We are working with law enforcement and would encourage anyone who believes they were a victim of this scam to contact the Suffolk County police to file a report.”
Meanwhile, they assure, their “product sales department will provide cookies to anybody who placed a bogus order, because nothing is more disappointing than not getting your girl scout cookies!” They also remind everyone they don’t take cash and the girls should always be in uniform when they peddle cookies for the cause.
