A woman in New York claiming to be a displeased former patient scammed a dentist out of thousands of dollars before she was arrested on November 3, according to the New Hartford Police Department in New York.
Kayla Phillips, 28, was charged with felony grand larceny. She was released from custody and will appear in court later this month, according to a Facebook post published on November 4 by the police department.
Kayla Phillips.New Hartford Police Department/Facebook.
Police began investigating after a dentist who has not been identified received text messages from Phillips in which she claimed to be an ex-patient threatening legal action over a past procedure. In the text, Phillips said she would settle the alleged dispute if she was paid $40,000, according to police.
The dentist believed the claim was legitimate, so the clinician transferred about $7,000 to Phillips via a mobile financial platform. During a previous in-person meeting, the dentist gave Phillips more than $5,000 in cash. The dentist’s family was suspicious, so they contacted police.
Phillips then reportedly arranged another meeting with the dentist outside a local bank on November 3 with the goal of obtaining more money. Authorities were in the area waiting and arrested Phillips following the meetup, according to police.
During the last meeting, Phillips purportedly obtained several thousand more dollars from the dentist.
In total, the dentist gave $15,000 to Phillips, according to police.
