NJ woman duped into crime by phony 'New Kids' frontman, cops say

HACKETTSTOWN — Uh, oh. Looks like she may have gotten the wrong stuff.

Police say a Mansfield woman is in trouble after apparently getting duped by someone claiming to be Jordan Knight from the early '90s boy band New Kids on the Block.

Cynthia Salvadore, 42, told police that she received a $2,000 check after getting a call from the supposed 49-year-old former heartthrob. The man wanted her to cash the check and send money to a charity in Nigeria.

Police said Salvadore cashed the bogus check at the Anderson Cash Checking in Hackettstown in October, deposited the money in a bank account and bought $700 in gift cards. Police said she provided the gift card numbers to the person she believed was the NKOTB frontman.

"It was determined that Cynthia was scammed," police said in a statement Thursday.

She was charged last month with third-degree cashing a bad check and possession of a forged check.

New Jersey 101.5 did not know Thursday whether she had an attorney.