Features
No-Trick Pony
Paul Simon has an impersonator, and no, not the kind that performs “Graceland,” and “I Am A Rock” at a random club in Las Vegas. A man claiming to be the singer-songwriter tried to walk out of a New York Citibank branch with thousands in cash yesterday.
Police arrested Rafael Ramos soon after his attempt at identity theft.
Ramos strolled into Citibank around 1 p.m. and asked to take out $4,300 using Simon’s name, bank account number and Social Security number, according to the New York Post.
Photo: Greg Allen / gregallenphotos.com
Beacon Theatre, New York, N.Y.
The teller must have noticed that Ramos didn’t look exactly like Art Garfunkel’s former partner because she refused to give him the dough. The crook then ran out of the bank and was quickly apprehended.
Before attempting to scam Simon, maybe Ramos should have paid closer attention during Facebook’s Doppelganger Week. Police sources told the Post Ramos “looked absolutely nothing like the diminutive rock legend.” Not only is Ramos 14 years younger than the 68-year-old singer-songwriter, he’s also just a wee bit taller. While Simon stands at 5-foot-3, Ramos wouldn’t exactly be called short at 6-foot-1.
Ramos was charged with attempted larceny. After he told the arresting officers he was depressed, he was transported to a hospital.
According to the Post, Simon said he didn’t know Ramos. It’s not clear how the alleged identity thief got his hands on Simon’s personal information.
Click here for the New York Post story.