Roosevelt man charged in telephone scam, Nassau police say

An 85-year-old Westhampton man complied with a caller's request to drop off $8,000 in Manhasset for his supposedly jailed grandson, but the con game ended Tuesday, Nassau police said, after the victim was asked to deliver more cash.

Detectives accompanied the victim at about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday to the same drop-off location, Plandome Road in Manhasset, and arrested the man who approached them, George Rodriguez, 31, of Roosevelt, on a grand larceny charge, police said.

The victim had first received a phone call Monday from an unknown person, who instructed him to bring $8,000 to Plandome Road, police said. The Westhampton man traveled to Manhasset with the cash, giving it to an unknown person, who was not Rodriguez, police said.

Tuesday, he got another call saying his grandson needed $5,000 more for legal fees, police said. The caller told the victim to bring the cash to the same location, but instead, authorities said, the man called police.

Rodriguez, of Nassau Road, was arraigned Wednesday on a charge of third-degree grand larceny. His $15,000 bail had not been posted Wednesday night, according to records. He was represented by the Legal Aid Society of Nassau County, which could not be reached Wednesday night. It was not clear if he had entered a plea. He is to appear in Nassau First District Court Friday, according to records.

The arrest highlights a surge of such scams on Long Island, many targeting older people. Their prevalence and varied methods have alarmed police commissioners and officials in both Nassau and Suffolk counties, prompting them to warn residents about the frauds.

Detectives request anyone who believes he or she has been the victim of a similar scam to contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 800-244-8477 or call 911.