Quick thinking by a resident of The Elements at West Windsor age-restricted development led to the arrest of two scam artists who tried to collect $16,000 in a “grandparents bail” scam July 7, according to the West Windsor Police Department.
The grandparents bail scam was thwarted and the suspects were arrested within hours of being reported to the West Windsor Police Department, in a ruse that police said has become a national problem.
The two scam artists – one who lives in Connecticut and one who lives in Florida – were charged with theft by deception, police said. The Florida suspect also was found to be wanted as a fugitive from Bergen County.
The incident began to unfold when a woman, who said she was an attorney, called a resident of The Elements at West Windsor around noon on July 7 and said the resident’s grandson had been involved in a car crash and had injured a pregnant woman, police said.
The “attorney” said she would need $16,000 in cash to keep the grandson out of jail. A “bondsman” would be sent to the resident’s home at The Elements to pick up the cash, police said.
Two “couriers” went to the resident’s home, where they were arrested without incident by a West Windsor police detective.
The Connecticut suspect was released pending a future date in Mercer County Superior Court, while the Florida suspect was taken to the Mercer County Corrections Center.
