Police in Rockland County are warning their residents about a dating-app hoax that's landing on the doorsteps of unsuspecting residents.
According to police, different men knock on doors in the village of Piermont in the middle of the night, looking for a woman named "Natalie."
"They don't know what she looks like, they don't know anything about her. They're just looking for 'Natalie'," said Piermont police officer John Dowd.
It turns out the men are the victim of a catfishing hoax with a person they are meeting online through the dating app Meet Me.
"I think they know right away once we show up, they know the jig's up," Dowd said.
Since November, the department has responded to five calls, all from residents living on Ash Street.
"One (of the men) lived at least an hour away," said Down. "One guy was just over the river in Westchester. They're coming from all over and they're not doing anything wrong, except getting rejected."
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But police worry it could get dangerous if the wrong man shows up at the wrong door and causes problems. They've started to hand out flyers warning residents on Ash Street to not open the door to strangers and they posted the same warning on the department's Facebook page.
Police are interviewing the gentleman callers to see if they can uncover not only who "Natalie" is, but also where she, or he, really lives.
