Clever Granny Traps Scammer by Luring Him to Her Home With the Police Waiting

A savvy grandmother lured a scammer to her home, where she had the police waiting to arrest him.

The scheme unfolded when 73-year-old Jean of Seaford, New York, received a startling phone call on Thursday from a man claiming to be her grandson. The man told her that he’d been arrested for drunk driving and needed help paying for his bond. The only problem was Jean did not have a grandson old enough to drive. The quick-thinking woman realized that she was speaking with a scammer.

Jean talked to two other men, one claiming to be a lawyer representing her grandson and another one who said he was a bails bondsman. They told Jean that she needed to give them $8,000 to get her grandson out of jail. Playing along with the fraudsters, the former 911 dispatcher convinced them that she had the money at her home. While she waited for one of the scammers to come to retrieve the envelope full of papers towels that she’d assembled, Jean phoned police and told them about the ordeal.

When 28-year-old Joshua Estrella Gomez arrived, Jean watched as police took him into custody in front of her home.

“I figured, he’s not going to fall for that. Well, he fell for that hook, line, and sinker,” Jean told CBS2.

She says that she hopes catching the scammer in the act will prevent others from losing their hard-earned money.

Gomez was charged with attempted grand larceny.