Photo: CBS
The man on the phone said he’d been arrested for drunk driving and needed her help getting out. But Jean doesn’t have a grandson who drives.
It was then that the former 911 dispatcher from Seaford, N.Y., realized the man was trying to scam her.
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Rather than hanging up on the caller, Jean decided to see if she could catch him to keep him from potentially tricking other people.
“I told him I had the money in the house,” Jean said, suggesting that he come pick it up. “I figured, he’s not going to fall for that. Well, he fell for that hook, line and sinker,” she told CBS2.
Jean stuffed an envelope with paper towels, asked police officers to hurry over and waited.
By the time one of the alleged scammers arrived at her home to pick up the envelope which he believed contained $8,000, cops were waiting inside Jean’s front door ready to nab the thief. She watched from her front porch as officers arrested him on her lawn.
Joshua Estrella Gomez, 28, was taken into custody and charged with attempted grand larceny, according to the police statement. He is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 3.
It is not clear if Gomez has entered a plea to the charge against him or retained a lawyer who can speak on his behalf.
Though Jean was able to catch Gomez in a lie, not all people are so fortunate. According todata from the FBI, millions of Americans fall for elder fraud each year. The FBI warns that seniors are more commonly targeted because they “tend to be trusting and polite” and often have money saved, a home in their name and good credit.
“I feel like, ‘Gotcha!'” Jean says about Thursday’s incident, but she also hopes others learn from her experience. “So many people fall for this and you only hear about it on the other end after they’ve lost $8,000.”
“Please take time to speak to your elderly parents, grandparents or neighbors about these scams,” Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryderwrote in a tweetfollowing Gomez’s arrest. “When in doubt call 911.”
source: people.com
