Sheriff Alleges Flight Attendant Flew Standby to Collect From Senior in Fake Publishers Clearing House Scam

Published Nov. 3, 2026. Case statuses are current as of that date.

According to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office, it started with a phone call saying she had won. By the time it was over, a 75-year-old Palm Coast, Florida, woman had lost about $25,310 in a gift card, cash and Zelle payments, and credit card charges. Detectives allege that an American Airlines flight attendant used her standby travel benefits to fly to Florida and visit the victim's home as part of the scheme [1].

Destiny Blake, 24, of Brooklyn, New York, was arrested on a Flagler County warrant by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at Miami International Airport, the sheriff's office said in an Oct. 27, 2026, release [1].

Important: Blake has been arrested on Florida charges, but she has not been convicted of anything. She is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. Everything below about what she is said to have done is an allegation by the sheriff's office, not a court finding.

What the sheriff's office alleges

Everything in this section comes from the Flagler County Sheriff's Office release, and none of it has been tested in court [1].

1. The "you won" call. In November 2025, a caller who claimed to be with Publishers Clearing House told the victim she had won.
2. A fee to collect. To collect her "winnings," the victim was told to mail a $500 gift card to "Destiny Blake" at a Brooklyn address, which she did.
3. The email lockout. During this time, the victim was locked out of her own email account. The password had been changed and the account switched to a look-alike address she never created.
4. Cash and Zelle. Between Nov. 15 and Nov. 19, 2025, the victim withdrew more than $14,000 from her bank. Detectives say Blake received $14,220 in cash and Zelle payments.
5. The visit. Detectives say that on Nov. 18, Blake flew from New York to Daytona Beach as a standby passenger using her flight attendant benefits, then took an Uber to a hotel in Palm Coast. The next morning, an Uber dropped her off at the victim's home just before 11 a.m.; 15 minutes later, another Uber took her back to the Daytona Beach airport.
6. The credit card. Detectives say Blake had been issued her own Apple Card as an authorized user on the victim's account. A family member later found a note in the victim's home with instructions to call the card company and say Blake was her granddaughter and was authorized to use the card.
7. The spending. Between Nov. 16 and Dec. 11, 2025, 88 charges totaling $10,590.30 were made on the victim's credit cards, according to the release. The sheriff's office listed a $1,740.91 eBay order shipped to Blake's Brooklyn address, $1,523.16 in Apple products, and more than $1,300 at T-Mobile, Ugg, a Brooklyn hair salon, plus dozens of Uber rides and Uber Eats orders. Detectives say the online orders were placed using Blake's own name, email address and phone number, and that they obtained surveillance video of Blake using the victim's card at a Queens supermarket.

The sheriff's office does not say who made the original Publishers Clearing House call, and it does not say whether investigators believe others were involved.

Who is accused and where the case stands

Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Blake on Oct. 13, 2026, the sheriff's office said. She was arrested late on a Friday evening as she arrived in Miami on an international flight. The sheriff's office says she was arrested for:

• 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.

She was taken to the Miami-Dade County jail and later released on a $30,000 bond [1]. The release does not list a court date, a case number or a plea. Those details are status pending, and we have not seen a court record.

The release does not accuse Publishers Clearing House of anything. The FTC says real prizes are free, that scammers may pretend to be from well-known companies that run real sweepstakes, and that no real sweepstakes company will contact you asking for money to claim a prize [2].

Red flags

These are general warning signs of prize and sweepstakes scams. They are not findings about any person named here.

• You "won" something you never entered.
• You must pay to collect. A fee, "taxes," shipping or a gift card before the prize is released is the core of the scam [2].
• Gift cards, Zelle or cash. These payments are fast and hard to reverse.
• Someone wants to come to the house. A "prize representative" or courier who wants to pick up cash or documents in person is a major warning sign.
• Changes to email, phone or cards. A lost email password, a new "authorized user" on a credit card, or instructions to tell the bank that a stranger is a relative should be treated as an emergency.
• Secrecy. Being told not to tell family or the bank.

What to do if you or a relative is targeted

1. Stop paying and hang up. Do not send more money to "release" a prize.
2. Call the bank and card companies using the numbers on the back of the cards. Ask them to remove any authorized users you did not add and to dispute unauthorized charges.
3. Secure email and phone accounts. Change passwords, turn on two-step verification, and check recovery phone numbers and email addresses.
4. Report it to local police, to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to the FBI at ic3.gov. The Flagler County Sheriff's Office also points to the Florida Abuse Hotline (1-800-962-2873) and the U.S. Department of Justice National Elder Fraud Hotline (1-833-372-8311) [1].
5. If you had contact with Blake or believe you were targeted in a similar scam, the sheriff's office asks you to call 386-313-4911 [1].

The sheriff's office has also posted steps families can take to protect an older relative's phones, email, computers and bank accounts at flaglersheriff.com/senior-safety [1].

Case status (as of Nov. 3, 2026)

Defendant	Agency / court	Status as of Nov. 3, 2026	Source
Destiny Blake, 24, Brooklyn, N.Y.	Flagler County Sheriff's Office (Florida state charges)	Arrested in Miami on a Flagler County warrant 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; released on $30,000 bond. Court date, case number and plea: status pending. Presumed innocent.	[1]

Sources

1. Flagler County Sheriff's Office, "Flight Attendant Who Flew Standby to Scam Palm Coast Senior Arrested at Miami Airport," news release #2026-231, Oct. 27, 2026. https://flaglersheriff.com/news/flight-attendant-who-flew-standby-to-scam-palm-coast-senior-arrested-at-miami-airport/
2. Federal Trade Commission, "Fake Prize, Sweepstakes, and Lottery Scams," consumer advice, accessed Nov. 3, 2026. https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/fake-prize-sweepstakes-and-lottery-scams

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