NYC woman, 78, scammed out of nearly $10K after man pretends to be her grandson in bail scheme: cops

An elderly Manhattan woman was bilked out of almost $10,000 last month by a heartless man who pretended to be her grandson and told her he needed bail money, police said Wednesday. 

The 78-year-old granny received a phone call at her Upper West Side home on Aug. 23 from a man who posed as her kin and asked her for $9,500 to make bail, according to cops. 

She agreed and the scammer arranged for a courier to come pick up the money about an hour later, police said.

The man was driving a white Toyota with a New York license plate, and the victim was able to snap a picture of him before he drove away, according to the NYPD, which released the picture Wednesday.

It wasn’t the first time older New Yorkers were targeted by a bail-related scam. 

In 2020, Anthony Rosario Mendez pulled off a similar scheme in Brooklyn, where he posed as a lawyer and told grandparents their grandkids were arrested and needed bail money, prosecutors said.

He ripped off several victims ranging in age from 74 to 90 out of thousands, with the bail ranging from $3,000 to $20,000, according to authorities. 

“Never agree to turn over money without contacting your grandchild, their parent, or another relative to determine if they are safe,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said at the time. 

“And report any suspicious solicitation to law enforcement.”