Utica Police Warn: Scammer Targeting Downtown Businesses

The Utica Police Department has issued an alert about a scam artist who was antagonizing customers and preying on employees of downtown businesses, such as the Utica Coffee Roasting Company, located at 92 Genesee Street.

The man, pictured above wearing a grey New York Yankees' baseball cap and a striped golf shirt, as seen in a shot from the cameras at Utica Coffee Roasting, was causing a ruckus by loudly and aggressively seeking money back for purchases he had not made. Here's the official statement from the Utica PD Facebook page:

The Utica Police Department would like to notify area businesses of a potential scam being perpetrated by the pictured individual. It was reported that the male will visit businesses and demand a refund for items he did not order.
Complaints regarding this matter can forwarded to the Utica Police Department at 315-735-3301 option 0.

Heather Delia, who owns Utica Coffee, said it really wasn’t about the money, it was about how he treated my employees. Not to mention the fact it was awesome he got pulled over the next day for DWI, Karma has a way of working."

The scammer was also reportedly seen inside Jonny's Pizza on lower Genesee, just a few doors up from Utica Coffee.