Scammer reportedly posing as St. Vincent's Hospital employee stealing from people

Police are looking for a man accused of disguising himself as a St. Vincent’s Medical Center employee to steal from people.

Krystal Matthews wanted to buy her daughter a phone as a birthday present and found what she thought was a good deal on Facebook.

She found a man who goes by the Facebook name ‘Remy Sinclair’ who was selling phones.

Matthews tells us the man claimed to work at St. Vincent’s in Riverside and that his co-worker sold him phones that he often sold for cheap.

She said they texted for weeks, making small talk before agreeing to make the deal on the hospital’s second floor.

“We thought we were doing everything right as women, to come to a hospital,” Matthews said. “Who’s gonna rob you in a hospital?”

She says when they met in the waiting room this week, he was dressed in a St. Vincent’s uniform.

Matthews said she handed him $200 and he said he would get the phone from another room.

“He gets you enough to trust you,” she said. “Enough to where you’ll put the money in his hand while he goes next door.”

Instead, she said, he bolted for the exit.

Stunned, she called the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, who told her she wasn’t the only victim.

Action News Jax has learned the scammer has fooled at least a few victims with this scam or a variation of it.

A police report for a similar scam in August said a different woman met the man at St. Vincent’s.

The report said he offered to carry her bag, which contained her laptop and two cell phones.

He then allegedly told the victim he needed to pick something up from his mother, who worked on the second floor.

The report said he left and never returned with her belongings.

A security officer at St. Vincent’s told police the man had been pulling the same scam at the hospital for nearly four years.

Police even told Matthews he’s dressed up as a priest before, often praying with victims to gain their trust.

“He took a woman’s iPhone and her purse while he was praying with her,” Matthews said. “Police told us that.”

St. Vincent’s Medical Center sent Action News Jax a statement that reads:

“St. Vincent’s takes the safety of everyone in our facilities seriously. All of our associates are required to wear identification, which includes their name, department and photo. Upon hearing of this matter, we immediately began working with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to help identify this individual, and we continue to provide them all relevant information in relation to this case.”

Action News Jax has been trying to get a surveillance image of the man, and has inquired with JSO about it. St. Vincent’s told us to go through police to get any surveillance images.

Cox Media Group