A Long Island grandmother outsmarted scammers who tried to steal thousands from her.
The woman from Seaford, who asked to be identified as Jean, told the news that she received a call from someone claiming to be her grandson. The man said he was arrested for drunk driving and needed to be bailed out of jail.
“I knew he was a real scammer. I just knew he wasn’t going to scam me,” Jean, 73, told CBS2. “He starts calling me ‘grandma,’ and then I’m like, I don’t have a grandson that drives, so I knew it was a scam.”
The scam took several phone calls to play out and involved multiple unidentified males, police said in a press release. One person claiming to be a lawyer for Jean’s grandson told her that he needed $8,000 to get out of jail. A third person called claiming to be a bail bondsman coming to collect the money.
“I told him I had the money in the house, and I figured, he’s not going to fall for that,” Jean said, adding that she called the police. “Well, he fell for that hook, line, and sinker.”
A man impersonating a bail bondsman arrived at Jean’s home to collect the money, and she handed him an envelope filled with paper towels. As he turned to leave, police officers tackled him, according to CBS2.
Officers of the Nassau County Police Department arrested Joshua Estrella Gomez, 28, and charged him with attempted grand larceny in the third degree. He was released on an appearance ticket and is due to appear in court on February 3.
“I feel like gotcha, and I feel like, like you say, so many people fall for this and you only hear about it on the other end after they’ve lost $8,000,” Jean said.
Nassau County PD spokesperson Richard Lebrun told Insider that people should block unwanted calls and texts to avoid being scammed. If someone calls claiming to have been arrested, call that person or a family member to confirm.
“Resist the pressure to act immediately,” Lebrun said in a statement. “Legitimate business will give you time to make payments.”
“Never pay with gift cards or wire money to an unknown person or business,” he added.
