The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office announced the recovery and return of $8,500 to an elderly woman who was targeted in a “grandchild bail needed” scam that spanned multiple states and nearly resulted in a significant financial loss.
According to District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney, members of the office’s Financial Crimes Bureau were alerted on December 17 after a detective in Devils Lake, North Dakota, reported that an 80-year-old woman had been deceived into mailing cash to New York. Investigators determined the money had been sent to a location in Shirley, prompting an immediate response.
The investigation revealed that the victim received a phone call on December 12 from someone impersonating her granddaughter. The caller claimed she had been involved in a motor vehicle accident in Suffolk County and was facing criminal charges, insisting that bail money was urgently needed to secure her release. The caller urged the woman to keep the matter secret before transferring the call to a person posing as an attorney, who provided instructions on mailing cash through the U.S. Postal Service.
After the woman sent the money, the scammer continued contacting her, demanding additional funds and becoming increasingly aggressive when she asked for details. Once the victim realized she had been deceived, law enforcement used the package’s tracking information to confirm it had been delivered to Shirley on December 17.
Members of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, working alongside Suffolk County Police, the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Postal Inspection Service, quickly mobilized to the delivery location. Postal inspectors were able to intercept the package before it reached the scammers, recovering $8,500 in U.S. currency, which was returned to the victim.
District Attorney Tierney praised the coordinated effort and warned residents—particularly senior citizens—to remain vigilant against scams that rely on fear, urgency, and secrecy. Authorities urge anyone receiving similar requests to independently verify the situation by contacting family members directly and to never send cash or gift cards through the mail.
The investigation was handled by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office Financial Crimes Bureau with assistance from Suffolk County Police detectives, Suffolk County Sheriff deputy investigators, and U.S. Postal Inspectors.
Criminal complaints and indictments are merely accusatory instruments. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
