Grandma Nearly Swindled Out Of Thousands In Bogus Bail Money Scam Sent To Shirley: DA

SHIRLEY, NY — Thousands of dollars swindled out of a grandma from North Dakota — tricked into believing her grandchild was arrested and held on bail — were sent to location in Shirley and recovered, Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney said Friday.

His office said the $8,500 mailed by the woman was part of a “grandchild bail needed” scam
and the Financial Crimes Bureau learned it was mailed to a location in Shirley.

Tierney said his office is "dedicated to combating scammers who prey on the senior citizen community, whom criminals believe to be easy prey."

"Bad actors should know that Suffolk County will not be a haven for mailing scams, and that we will do everything within our power to prevent citizens from being swindled by predatory scammers," he said. "I want to thank all those who collaborated in this investigation, including my own detective investigators, Suffolk County police detectives, and Suffolk County Sheriff deputy investigators."

"We thank also our partners in the United States Postal Inspection Service who assisted us to locate this money before the scammers got hold of it," he added.

The scenario unfolded on Wednesday at around 3:15 p.m., when the Financial Crimes Bureau received a phone call from a detective in Devils Lake, North Dakota, stating that an elderly woman had reported that she was a victim of a scam, according to prosecutors.

The detective revealed the 80-year-old grandmother received a phone call last Friday from someone claiming to be her granddaughter, and she continued the ruse by telling the woman that she was involved in a motor vehicle accident in Suffolk County, and that she was charged with three crimes as a result of the accident and needed “bail money” to be released from jail, prosecutors said.

The “granddaughter” further begged the victim to “keep this all a secret” and then handed the phone to her “attorney,” who instructed the woman on how to send cash through the United States Postal Service, according to prosecutors.

After the victim did so, the “attorney” continued to contact her multiple times in the following days, demanding more cash, and became more aggressive when the woman requested more information, prosecutors said.

After sending money, and then realizing she was the victim of a scam, the grandmother spoke with the detective, who was able to use the package tracking number to confirm the mail was indeed delivered to a location in Shirley at around 1 p.m. on Wednesday, according to prosecutors.

After meeting with members of the Financial Crimes Bureau, law enforcement quickly
mobilized to the location in Shirley and, with the help of postal inspectors from the United States
Postal Inspection Service, were able to intercept the package containing $8,500, prosecutors said, adding that the money was then returned to the woman.

Tierney's office warned the residents should be on high alert to avoid becoming victims of similar scams.

Before sending any money, residents should confirm the person they are speaking with is who they claim to be by calling the person directly before taking any action, as scammers rely on secrecy, immediacy, and fear.

Residents are being urged not to give out their personal information over the phone, including their banking information. If anyone requests a resident to send money or gift cards by using USPS, UPS, FedEx, or any other mailing venues, residents should contact their bank or police department directly.