FLAGLER BEACH, Fla. Two men are facing felony charges after investigators say they participated in a phone scam that tricked an elderly Flagler Beach resident into leaving his debit card in his mailbox, allowing thousands of dollars to be stolen from his bank account.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office announced that 36-year-old Mardochee Malvoisin of Palm Coast has been arrested, while 38-year-old Emile Destin Jr. of North Miami Beach surrendered to authorities in connection with the investigation.
According to investigators, deputies responded on June 5 to a home on John Anderson Highway after an elderly man reported he had been scammed.
The victim told deputies he received a phone call from someone claiming to work in Spectrum’s fraud department, who said his account had been compromised. The caller then transferred him to another person posing as a representative from his bank.
The fake bank representative instructed the victim to seal his debit card inside an envelope and leave it in his mailbox so it could be collected and his account “secured.”
Believing the instructions were legitimate, the victim complied. The envelope was picked up by someone he never saw.
The victim later discovered approximately $3,500 in fraudulent purchases and ATM withdrawals made in Palm Coast and St. Augustine.
During the investigation, detectives traced the unauthorized withdrawals to a vehicle driven by Malvoisin, who was already being held at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility on unrelated charges.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office Real Time Crime Center also identified a rental vehicle connected to the Miami area that investigators say was used by an accomplice.
Detectives determined Destin recruited Malvoisin to retrieve the victim’s debit card from the mailbox.
Arrest warrants were issued charging both men with criminal use of personal identification information, grand theft and fraudulent use of a credit card two or more times within six months.
Malvoisin was served with the new charges while in custody. He remains jailed on a combined $19,500 bond, including $15,000 related to the fraud case and $4,500 on an unrelated case involving driving with a suspended license, providing false identification to a deputy and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Destin surrendered to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office on July 13 and is being held on a $35,000 bond while awaiting extradition to Flagler County.
Sheriff Rick Staly reminded residents that legitimate banks and businesses will never ask customers to mail or surrender their debit or credit cards to protect their accounts.
The sheriff’s office encourages anyone who receives similar calls to hang up immediately and contact their financial institution using the telephone number printed on the back of their card or on official account statements. Suspected fraud can be reported to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office non-emergency line at 386-313-4911.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office also offers free fraud prevention classes through its Community Engagement Unit and will host a Summit to Protect and Serve Seniors on Sept. 24 at the agency’s Operations Center in Bunnell. A Safety Expo focused on crime prevention is also scheduled for Aug. 15 at European Village in Palm Coast.