(SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y.) – Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced the recovery of $8,500 mailed by an elderly victim of a “grandchild bail needed” scam after members of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office’s Financial Crimes Bureau learned it was mailed to a location in Shirley.
“Our office is dedicated to combatting scammers who prey on the senior citizen community, who criminals believe to be easy prey,” said District Attorney Tierney. “Bad actors should know that Suffolk County will not be a haven for mailing scams, and that we will do everything within our power to prevent citizens from being swindled by predatory scammers. I want to thank all those who collaborated in this investigation including my own detective investigators, Suffolk County Police detectives, and Suffolk County Sheriff deputy investigators. We thank also our partners in the United States Postal Inspection Service who assisted us to locate this money before the scammers got ahold of it.”
According to the investigation, on December 17, 2025, at approximately 3:15 p.m., the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office’s Financial Crimes Bureau received a phone call from a detective in Devils Lake, North Dakota, stating that an elderly woman had reported that she was a victim of a scam. The detective revealed that the 80-year-old grandmother received a phone call on December 12, 2025, from someone claiming to be her granddaughter. The “granddaughter” continued the ruse by telling the victim that she was involved in a motor vehicle accident in Suffolk County, New York, and that she was charged with three crimes as a result of the accident and needed “bail money” to be released from jail. The “granddaughter” further begged the victim to “keep this all a secret” and then handed the phone to her “attorney” who instructed the victim on how to send cash through the United States Postal Service. After the victim did so, the “attorney” continued to contact her multiple times in the following days, demanded more cash, and became more aggressive when the victim requested more information. After sending money and then realizing that she was the victim of a scam, the grandmother spoke with the detective who was able to use the package tracking number to confirm the mail was indeed delivered to a location in Shirley, New York at approximately 1:00 p.m. on December 17, 2025.
After meeting with members of the SCDA’s Financial Crimes Bureau, law enforcement quickly mobilized to the location in Shirley and, with the help of postal inspectors from the United States Postal Inspection Service, were able to intercept the package containing $8,500 in U.S. currency. The money was then returned to the victim.
Residents should be on high alert to avoid becoming victims of these types of scams. Before sending any monies, confirm that the one you are speaking with is indeed who they claim to be by calling them directly before taking any action. Scammers rely on secrecy, immediacy, and fear. Do not give out your personal information over the phone, including your banking information. If anyone asks you to send U.S. currency or gift cards by using USPS, UPS, FedEx or any other mailing venues, contact your bank or police department directly.
This investigation was handled by Detective Investigators Daniel Herzog, Joseph Tobia, Daniel Ayrovainen of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, with assistance from detectives Daniel Raia, Anthony Mezzapelle, and Thomas Henry of the Suffolk County Police Department’s District Attorney’s Squad, Deputy Sheriff Investigators Brandon Clark and Richard Baker, U.S. Postal Inspectors Daniella Lella and Joseph Marcus, together with Bureau Chief Lucie Kwon and Deputy Chief Michael McCoy of the Financial Crimes Bureau of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.