Copiague Woman Charged With Scamming 88-Year-Old Grandma: NCPD

NEW HYDE PARK, NY — A Copiague woman was arrested in connection to a scam where an 88-year-old New Hyde Park woman was tricked into paying thousands of dollars to help her "grandson," whom she thought was involved in a crash that injured a pregnant woman, according to Nassau Police.

Maria Adames, 25, of Galvani Street, was arrested and charged with grand larceny in the scheme, police said Friday morning.

The arrest stems from a May 29 scheme in which an unknown man contacted the 88-year-old victim, claiming he was her grandson, police said.

He told her he'd just been involved in a bad crash and a pregnant woman was hurt, police said.

The man told the victim he'd been arrested and gave her a phone number to call, informing her it was his lawyer, police said.

The victim called the number and was told to pay nearly $10,000 for bail money and an additional $1,200 to prevent the bogus arrest from showing up on her grandson's criminal record, police said.

Adames then showed up at the victim's house to complete the transaction, police said. He is expected in court Friday.

Dan Hampton contributed to this report.