Courtesy: Flagler County Sheriff's Office
PALM COAST, Fla. - An American Airlines flight attendant faces multiple felony charges after investigators say she used her job-related travel privileges to help target an elderly Palm Coast woman in a $25,000 sweepstakes scam.
Sweepstakes scam
What we know:
Flagler County Sheriff’s Office detectives said the scheme began in November 2025 when a phone caller posing as a Publishers Clearing House representative told a 75-year-old victim she had won a prize. The victim was directed to mail a $500 gift card to 24-year-old Destiny Blake at an address in Brooklyn, New York.
During the same timeframe, investigators say the victim was locked out of her email account after the password was altered and switched to a look-a-like address. Between Nov. 15 and Nov. 19, 2025, the victim withdrew more than $14,000 from her bank, delivering $14,220 in cash and Zelle payments to Blake, according to FCSO.
Investigators said they found that Blake flew as a standby passenger using flight attendant perks from New York to Daytona Beach on Nov. 18, 2025. She then booked an Uber to a hotel on State Road 100 in Palm Coast.
The next morning, according to investigators, an Uber dropped Blake off at the victim’s home just before 11 a.m. She left in another Uber 15 minutes later to return to the Daytona Beach airport. Before flying back home, unauthorized purchases were made on the victim’s credit card at the Daytona Beach and Charlotte airports, according to the FCSO.
Authorized user account takeover
Timeline:
Detectives said Blake became an authorized user issued her own Apple Card under the victim's account. Family members later discovered a handwritten note in the home instructing the victim to tell the card issuer that Blake was her granddaughter, according to FCSO.
Between Nov. 16 and Dec. 11, 2025, investigators say 88 charges totaling $10,590.30 were logged on the victim’s credit cards. The expenses included a $1,740.91 eBay order sent to Blake’s Brooklyn home, $1,523.16 in Apple products, and over $1,300 spent across T-Mobile, Ugg, a Brooklyn hair salon, Uber rides, and Uber Eats orders. One ride in Kingston was billed in Jamaican dollars two days after Blake flew there for work, according to FCSO.
Detectives confirmed the fraudulent online orders were placed using Blake’s name, email, and phone number, while store surveillance video showed Blake using the stolen card at a supermarket in Queens. Cellphone records also placed her phone near the retail locations on transaction dates, resulting in a total victim loss of roughly $25,310.
Detectives secured an arrest warrant for Blake on Oct. 13 for grand theft and fraudulent charges. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers took Blake into custody late Friday.
She was booked into the Miami-Dade County jail on charges of 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 before being released on a $30,000 bond. She faces extradition to Flagler County.
What we don't know:
Officials have not clarified how the scam's initial caller originally targeted the Palm Coast woman or how the victim's email account was altered.
‘Her wings were clipped’
What they're saying:
"Most flight attendants use their benefits to see the world. Blake used her’s to further a scam against a senior resident, live a lavish lifestyle using stolen bank cards and thinking she could get away with it," Sheriff Rick Staly said. "Her wings were clipped by our detectives and with the help of CPB she was arrested. Her next trip? Flagler County to be held accountable for her crimes."
Senior safety and reporting
What you can do:
Family members caring for older adults can find steps to secure accounts and devices at flaglersheriff.com/senior-safety. Suspected elder financial abuse can be reported to the Florida Abuse Hotline at 1-800-962-2873, the U.S. Department of Justice National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-372-8311, or the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office at 386-313-4911.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Flagler County Sheriff's Office, which detailed the investigation, arrest, and public safety resources.