Grandma outsmarts scammers who tried to rob her out of $8,000

A 73-year-old grandmother from New York was almost scammed out of $8,000. Instead, she intuitively played the con artists at their own game and led the police to a flawless victory.

Jean was the intended target of a scam phone call. The men – one claiming to be a bondsman and another a lawyer – demanded thousands in cash to "bail Jean's grandson out of jail." They suggested he had gotten into a drink-driving incident.

Luckily, Jean was already one step ahead and continued to play along.

Speaking with CBS2, Jean said she instantly knew that the call was a scam, "I knew he was a real scammer. I just knew he wasn't going to scam me."

Jean noted that the scammers gave the game away with their "drink-driving" scenario because her grandson doesn't drive.

"He starts calling me 'grandma,' and then I'm like, I don't have a grandson that drives, so I knew it was a scam," she said.

Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

The scammers headed to Jean's house to collect the cash when she handed over an envelope stuffed with paper towels.

"I told him I had the money in the house, and I figured, he's not going to fall for that.

"Well, he fell for that hook, line, and sinker," she said.

Officers appeared out of nowhere and tackled the man to the ground. At one point, Jean appeared to hilariously taunt the criminal by waving the phone at him while he's face down on the ground.

Watch the Ring doorbell footage here for yourself:

The people of Facebook applauded Nassau County Police Department for their "excellent job." They also praised Jean for her co-operation and intelligence.

"Well done! I'm also loving the elderly lady waving her phone," one said. "Good on HER for reporting and cooperating in getting this slime caught."

Another humoured: "I enjoy what looks like her taunting him or whoever is on the phone."

One praised Jean's methods, saying: "Kudos to the "grandma" for her intelligence and calm!"

Another added: "The woman's reaction is priceless!"

Enjoyed this article? Then click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help it raise through the indy100 rankings and have your say in our news democracy.