DA: Taunton man accused of sending himself money via Venmo while holding victim at knifepoint
A Taunton man is being charged with armed robbery for allegedly stealing over $1,000 over Venmo while holding a victim at knifepoint.
According to the Suffolk Country District Attorney’s Office, Joshua Alves, 22 was charged with masked and armed robbery.
On January 29, the victim walked into a Boston police station to report an armed robbery at Cleveland Place in the North End. The victim told police he arranged to meet shortly after midnight that day with a woman he met on a dating app, seeking.com, and agreed to pay $400.
When the victim arrived at Margaret Street, he saw two men in ski masks. The victim continued to walk down the street toward Cleveland Place when the two men approached him from behind, one of them brandishing a knife.
One of the men yelled at the victim that the woman from the dating site was his sister, who was a minor, the DA said.
The men forced the victim against a wall and “ordered him” to hand over his money and the victim handed him $60.
According to authorities, the men said “That’s not good enough.”
They then searched the victim’s pockets and asked him how he would have given the woman $400 if he didn’t have any more money on him.
The victim said he planned to pay via Venmo. The men then ordered him to unlock his phone and transfer $1,000 from the victim’s account.
Alves appeared in Boston court on Thursday and was charged with masked and armed robbery (knife) and released on personal recognizance. A judge ordered him to stay away from the victim and the location of the offense.
“This is a good example of the caution one should exercise whenever meeting someone for the first time, whether from this dating site or any other site,” DA Hayden said. “Technology is continually advancing, and the methods of bad actors are advancing right along with it. This was a very digital-aged crime in that it contained elements of two online entities—a dating site and a Venmo account. I’m grateful there were no injuries and that the victim reported everything to the police,” Hayden added.
Alves is due back in court on December 4.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
