A US flight attendant, identified as Blake, has been accused of exploiting her travel privileges to defraud an elderly woman of about $25,000 and fund an extravagant lifestyle.
Investigators alleged that Blake used a fraudulent prize-winning scheme to gain the victim’s trust before accessing her financial accounts and spending her money.
According to police on Wednesday, Blake allegedly told the woman she had won a contest but needed to send a $500 gift card to an address in Brooklyn, New York, to claim the prize.
Around the same period, the victim reportedly lost access to her email account after its password was changed. Investigators later discovered that a look-alike email account had allegedly been created without her knowledge.
Authorities said the victim withdrew approximately $14,000 from her bank accounts between November 15 and 19, 2025, while Blake allegedly received $14,220 during the same period.
Police further alleged that Blake used her flight benefits to travel from New York to Daytona Beach, Florida, on November 18.
The following morning, she reportedly took an Uber to the victim’s residence, where investigators believe she obtained information connected to the woman’s credit card. She allegedly left about 15 minutes later and returned to the airport.
According to the investigation, Blake subsequently used the victim’s credit card to make purchases at airports in Daytona Beach and Charlotte, North Carolina, while travelling home.
Detectives later discovered that she had allegedly added herself as an authorised user on the victim’s account and obtained a separate Apple Card.
The victim’s family also reportedly found a note in the woman’s home instructing her to contact the credit card company and falsely identify Blake as her granddaughter, with permission to use the card.
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Investigators alleged that Blake spent $10,590.30 on the victim’s credit card in 88 transactions between November 16 and December 11, 2025.
The purchases reportedly included $1,523.16 worth of Apple products, a $1,740.91 eBay order and about $1,300 spent across T-Mobile, UGG, a Brooklyn hair salon and multiple Uber Eats orders.
Authorities also identified a transaction 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 condemned the alleged misuse of the airline employee’s travel benefits, saying they were used to facilitate the scheme and support a lavish lifestyle at the victim’s expense.
Staly said the suspect allegedly abused privileges intended to help flight attendants travel by using them to target an elderly resident and spend money obtained through stolen bank cards.
The sheriff added that detectives collaborated with US Customs and Border Protection to arrest 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.