For at least a few dozen Metro readers, the photo of the man on the front page of the Feb. 24 edition was instantly recognizable.
“I could not believe my eyes when I saw him on the cover,” one reader wrote Metro.
The reader was one of many who said they, too, had allegedly been scammed by a man named Elliot. Victims have said they are approached by Elliot, mostly near T stations, and he tells them he needs money because his car is about to be towed with his family inside. Victims said he is well-dressed and gives them his real phone number and promises to return the money.
After Metro reported that police were investigating the man who has scammed countless of people in and around Boston, Elliot apparently continued to collect.
Daniel, who did not want his last name used, said he was walking from the Central Square station to a friend’s place in Cambridge late Saturday night when Elliot tapped him on the shoulder and told him he needed $39.99.
Daniel took a picture of Elliot and gave him his phone number expecting to get his $40. Soon after they parted ways, Daniel said he realized he had been scammed.
“It’s embarrassing,” he said, adding that he called police and intended to file a report in person.
“I think the more charges against him the more likely he could be stopped.”
The Suffolk DA is urging any of Elliot’s victims to contact Boston police.
