Senior Scammed Out of Nearly $10 Grand for ‘Bail’

Police are searching for this man in connection with a scam in which a senior was swindled out of nearly 10 grand.Photo byNYPD

By Dan Gesslein

Manhattan Voice

September 27, 2023

NEW YORK - A senior was scammed out of nearly 10 grand by a man who claimed he needed the money to bail the victim's son out of jail. The son was never arrested and copas said this is just the latest scam targeting seniors.

At around 12:30 pm on September 15, a 74-year-old man received a phone call claiming his son was in jail. The caller claimed the victim’s son had been arrested and he needed $9,500 to bail him out.

The caller arranged to pick up the cash near Union Square. The victim met the driver in the vicinity of West 62nd Street and Riverside Boulevard.

The caller showed up in a black car that had stickers on the windshield indicating that the vehicle was used for ride sharing.

The victim handed over the cash and scammer drove off.

Cops said the victim was never under arrest.

Police released surveillance video of the suspect and the car.

Investigators said this case is not new. Scammers have been targeting the elderly claiming their child or grandchild is in trouble and needs cash.

Back in August, a 78-year-old woman was scammed out of $9,500 from a man who claimed her grandson was in jail and needed to be bailed out.

In a similar phone scam, a young woman calls crying claiming to be the woman’s granddaughter. She claims she was badly hurt in an accident and needs grandma to wire her money.

Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/ or on Twitter @NYPDTips.

All calls are strictly confidential.