A 24-year-old American Airlines flight attendant, Destiny Blake, has been arrested in the United States over allegations that she defrauded an elderly woman of approximately $25,000 and used the money to pay for international trips, electronic products and food deliveries.
According to a report by the Daily Mail published on Wednesday, Blake, who is from Brooklyn, New York, was arrested by US Customs and Border Protection officers at Miami International Airport on Friday evening. The arrest followed a warrant issued by authorities in Flagler County, Florida, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators allege that Blake targeted an elderly woman in Palm Coast, Florida, through a fake sweepstakes scheme that reportedly lasted several months.
The alleged fraud began in November 2025 when Blake reportedly contacted the woman, posing as a representative of Publishers Clearing House. She allegedly told the victim she had won a prize but needed to send a $500 gift card to an address in Brooklyn before she could claim it.
Around the same period, the woman reportedly lost access to her email account after its password was changed. Investigators said another email account resembling hers was subsequently created without her knowledge.
Between November 15 and November 19, 2025, the victim withdrew approximately $14,000 from her bank accounts, while Blake allegedly received $14,220 during that period.
Police said Blake used her flight attendant travel benefits to travel from New York to Daytona Beach, Florida, on November 18. The following morning, she allegedly took an Uber to the victim’s residence, where investigators believe she obtained information connected to the woman’s credit card.
She reportedly left the property about 15 minutes later and returned to the airport. Authorities allege that she subsequently used the victim’s credit card to make purchases at airports in Daytona Beach and Charlotte, North Carolina, while travelling back home.
Detectives later discovered that Blake had allegedly added herself as an authorised user on the victim’s account and obtained a separate Apple Card.
The victim’s family reportedly found a note inside the woman’s home instructing her to contact the credit card company and claim that Blake was her granddaughter and had permission to use the card.
Investigators allege that between November 16 and December 11, 2025, Blake made 88 transactions totalling $10,590.30 on the victim’s credit card.
The purchases reportedly included Apple products worth $1,523.16, an eBay order valued at $1,740.91 and approximately $1,300 spent across T-Mobile, UGG, a Brooklyn hair salon and several Uber Eats orders.
Authorities also identified a transaction recorded in Jamaican dollars in Kingston, Jamaica, two days after Blake had travelled to the country while working for American Airlines.
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly accused the suspect of exploiting her travel privileges to facilitate the alleged fraud and finance a lavish lifestyle with the victim’s money.
Staly said detectives worked with US Customs and Border Protection to apprehend Blake. She is expected to be returned to Flagler County to face the allegations.
The case remains under investigation, and Blake is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Source: Punch
