PALM COAST, FL — A New York flight attendant has been arrested in connection with a scam targeting a 75-year-old Palm Coast resident, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators say Destiny Blake, 24, of Brooklyn, was taken into custody in Miami-Dade County after a months-long fraud case that cost the victim a total of $25,310.
Detectives say the contact began in November 2025, when Blake allegedly told the woman she had won a Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes. From there, investigators say the scheme expanded into mail theft, account takeovers, bank withdrawals and credit card charges that stretched into December.
How the sweepstakes pitch turned into a financial scam
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office says Blake called the victim and instructed her to send a $500 gift card by mail to a Brooklyn address in order to claim the prize. After that card was mailed, investigators say the victim was locked out of her email account and found that the password had been changed.
Authorities say the account was also switched to a look-alike address the woman had never created. That change, investigators believe, helped cut off the victim’s access while the fraud continued. The sheriff’s office says the case began as a false prize claim and quickly moved into control of the victim’s financial information.
Bank withdrawals, travel and card use tied to the victim
Investigators allege that Blake withdrew $14,220 from the victim’s bank account between November 15 and 19, 2025. The sheriff’s office says the money was delivered to Blake through cash and Zelle transfers during that period. Detectives also say she booked a flight from New York City to Daytona Beach on November 18 using her employee benefits.
After arriving in Florida, Blake allegedly took an Uber to a hotel on State Road 100 in Palm Coast, then another Uber the next day to the victim’s home. Investigators say she was picked up afterward and taken back to Daytona Beach International Airport. Purchases tied to the victim’s credit card were later made both there and at an airport in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Detectives say more than eighty credit card charges followed
The sheriff’s office says investigators identified 88 charges between November 16 and December 11, 2025, totaling $10,590.30 on the victim’s credit cards. Some of the money was spent through an eBay order sent to Blake’s Brooklyn address. Officials also say $1,740.91 went toward Apple products alone.
Detectives say the remaining charges included more than $1,300 spent at T-Mobile, Ugg, a hair salon in Brooklyn and on dozens of Uber and Uber Eats transactions. One Uber ride was reportedly purchased in Kingston, Jamaica using Jamaican currency, two days after Blake flew there for work with American Airlines, according to the sheriff’s office.
Investigation linked the charges to Blake's devices and locations
Flagler County detectives say they believe Blake connected her own Apple Card to the victim’s account and made herself an authorized user. Investigators also say a relative of the victim found a note in the home telling her to call the credit card company and say Blake was her granddaughter, which would make the card use appear legitimate.
Authorities say online orders were placed in Blake’s name using her email address and phone number. Surveillance video allegedly shows her making a purchase at a supermarket in Queens, New York, and phone records reportedly placed her near stores when some transactions happened. Detectives say that evidence helped them build the case against her.
Charges, arrest and elder fraud resources in Flagler County
The sheriff’s office says an arrest warrant was issued on October 13, 2026, after the investigation developed. Blake was taken into custody by U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Friday, October 23, and later booked into the Miami-Dade County Jail. She was released on $30,000 bond, according to the sheriff’s office.
Blake faces charges including 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. Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said the case shows how a flight attendant’s travel benefits were allegedly used to carry out the scheme.
The sheriff’s office is urging older residents who think they may have been targeted to call its investigators. Officials also point to the Florida Abuse Hotline at 1-800-962-2873 and the U.S. Department of Justice National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-372-8311 for help and reporting.
