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The Irvington Police Department and a Greenburgh Police Department’s task force arrested Bronx resident Bryant Pena, 29, and Genesis Cedeno, 26, for their roles following an alleged grandparent scam.
According to the Irvington Police Department, on Wednesday, Feb. 26, a 97-year-old man reported to investigators that he was contacted by a man who portrayed himself as his grandson.
The victim said the man stated that his grandson had been arrested for alleged impaired driving after being involved in a crash.
The caller told the elderly man that he needed $9,000 for bail.
Within an hour, police said that a man in his 30s, wearing a red and white baseball hat met the man at his home, where he turned over the cash.
Shortly after the first pickup, the 97-year-old man was again contacted by the same callers who stated they required an additional $12,000 for bail.
At that point, the man alerted police to the potential scam, and Pena and Cedeno were arrested during an undercover operation when the pair attempted to collect the additional cash.
Both Pena and Cedeno were charged with third-degree attempted grand larceny and possession of forged instruments and released following their arraignments.
They are scheduled to appear in court next month to respond to the charges.
“Members of the public are urged to verify any request for money by speaking with their local police and other family members first,” police said. “These scammers are excellent at what they do and are able to convince people of all ages to provide money for bail, accident, or lost credit cards.”
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