Cops: Fake grandson in East Farmingdale scams woman, 84, out of $2G

Police said an old scam nabbed a new victim when a Florida grandmother wired $2,000 to an East Farmingdale Walmart after getting a call from a man claiming to be her grandson who said he needed the money to get out of jail.

Suffolk County police have released surveillance footage of the suspect and asked for the public’s help in locating him.

Police said the victim, an 84-year-old woman from Punta Gorda, Florida, received the scam telephone call on Jan. 22. The ruse is an old one, with scammers targeting older, vulnerable adults, often with claims that a grandchild has been arrested and needs their financial assistance.

Police said in this case the caller said he was the woman’s grandson and had been arrested for driving under the influence and needed $2,000 to get out of jail. The woman wired the money via Western Union, police said.

Police released a photo of the suspect, who authorities said collected the funds at Walmart.

Police asked anyone with information about the suspect or the crime to call Crime Stoppers at 800-220-8477. Tipsters also can text the police at CRIMES (274637) or email police by visiting tipsubmit.com. All calls, texts and emails will remain confidential and tipsters are eligible for a cash reward of up to $5,000 for any information leading to an arrest in the case.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”