Elderly Garden City Woman Nearly Scammed Out Of $98,000: Police

GARDEN CITY SOUTH, NY — An elderly Garden City South woman was the victim of an elder scam, police said.

The woman, 87, was contacted by an unknown man who told her that a Chinese pornographic website stole money from her bank account, police said.

To address the situation, she was instructed to purchase a gold bar valued at $97,875, and someone would pick it up from her using a secret code, authorities said.

Nassau police was contacted and after an investigation, He Zheng, 31, of Queens, was arrested as he attempted to pick up the gold bar police said.

He is charged with second-degree attempted grand larceny, police said. He was arraigned on Tuesday at First Dirst Court in Hempstead.

Anyone who feels they may have been the victim of Zheng should call Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. Additionally, the Nassau County Police Department urges the community to be on alert, especially vulnerable family members should be aware of potential scams or frauds.