Con Man Scams Elderly Grandparents Out Of $100K, NYPD Says

NEW YORK CITY — A con man took more than $100,000 from elderly New Yorkers who believed the cash would save young relatives from prison, police said Thursday.

The conman first called a 77-year-old Staten Island woman the morning of Oct. 23, claiming her nephew had been arrested and needed $12,000 in bail money, police said.

A "courier" later arrived on her doorstep on Radcliff and Briarcliff roads and she handed over an envelop stuffed with cash, said police.

Weeks later, an 81-year-old Upper East Side woman received a call from a man she believed was her grandson, telling her to speak to his lawyer, cops said.

The "lawyer" got on the phone and demanded $30,600 to save her grandson from jail, cops said.

A courier arrived at her home on East 87th Street and York Avenue on Nov. 2 and grabbed the cash, police said.

When the lawyer called again demanding another $30,600 for medical expenses, once again, the elderly woman complied, said police.

The final con occurred on Nov. 8 on Station Road and 194th Street in Auburndale, Queens, police said.

An 81-year-old man twice gave $12,500 to a man posing as his grandson's lawyer, according to police.

Police released photos and sketches of the would-be couriers on Thursday. Anyone with information about these incidents is asked to contact police.