A would-be phone scammer who was reportedly targeting the elderly met his match when he attempted to con a grandmother in New York named Jean Ebbert, a former 911 dispatcher. A man posing as the 73-year-old woman’s grandson called her strangely and said he was in jail for DUI and urgently needed $8,000 in cash.
Interview
Ebbert admitted to Fox News that she knew it was a scam because she didn’t have a grandson old enough to drive, but she chose to comply even though her relatives told her to end the call. “I’m 73 years old, and you’re telling me to hang up, and my son said, ‘Hang up, ma.'” Ebbert remembered. I also didn’t end the call. Usually, I end the call.
After a while, Ebbert called another man, who claimed to be her grandson’s attorney, and asked to visit the house to collect the bail money. Jean gave the man her address and assured him that she had the money on hand. The tough-as-nails grandmother, in the meantime, reported the situation to the Nassau County Sheriff’s Department.
Police report
When Nassau County officers got to Jean’s house to question her about the phone scams, the alleged bail bondsman called again, according to WABC. Ebbert remarked, “It seems like they believed they had the big fish.” “They genuinely believed I was going to give them cash.” When the man arrived at Jean’s house, she gave him an empty envelope filled with paper towels, according to Fox News. At that point, the con artist, later identified as Joshua Estrella Gomez of Mineola, New York, was apprehended by the police. Gomez was shocked to be taken away in handcuffs and accused of third-degree attempted grand larceny.
This is referred to as a “grandparent scam” by law enforcement. Targeting elderly people by posing as loved ones who are incarcerated is a relatively new phenomenon, but scammers targeting elderly people is nothing new. In 2018, the Federal Trade Commission started drawing attention to the widespread occurrence of this kind of scam, even producing a video to help inform the public about their operations.
Action
Six people have been arrested by the Department of Justice as part of a racketeering investigation into a nationwide network of individuals who defrauded over 70 elderly people out of over $2 million using similar schemes. But in this instance, the targeted Seaford woman was not duped. Jean told CBS WLNY, “I knew he was a real scammer.” “I simply knew he wouldn’t con me.”
Jean was alerted by the man who called her and claimed to be her grandson. He claimed to be in jail following an automobile accident and to have been charged with driving under the influence, which Grandma knew was not possible. However, a lot of senior citizens, particularly those with dementia, could fall for this scam.
At a press conference, Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder told reporters, “She’s smart enough to call out and reach out to the police department and say, ‘I think I’m being taken advantage of,'” according to WABC. “Talk to your families. Talk to your neighbors. Pay a visit to those who are at risk. Tell them not to fall for these scams,” Ryder cautioned. “These people sit at home thinking of ways to exploit our elderly because they have nothing better to do.”
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