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The incident happened on Thursday, April 20, when a New Rochelle resident received a call from someone who was claiming to be a friend in jail who was in need of bail money, according to New Rochelle Police.
The resident then received a second call from someone claiming to be from a "public defender's office," and that they needed over $15,000 in bail money to free the "friend."
The would-be victim then made the smart decision to contact New Rochelle detectives, who began to investigate the case.
After this, the scammer called again in order to set up a time to meet the resident to receive the money. When he then showed up at the residence around 2 p.m., he was met at the door by detectives, who quickly placed him under arrest, police said.
The suspect, identified as Bronx resident Roger Mena-Carrion, age 28, was charged with third-degree grand larceny.
New Rochelle Police said that similar scams, known as "grandparent scams," have become more common nationwide and often involve scammers calling unsuspecting victims and posing as grandchildren or friends who are in distress and need money.
Anyone who receives such a call is encouraged to call their local police department and report the incidents to them, the department said.
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