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Hicksville woman wires nearly $1M after falling victim to elder scam

Nassau County police said they arrested Fnu Tierigeli, 32, of Woodside, Queens, Wednesday evening.

Jonathan Gordon

Sep 3, 2026, 8:05 AM

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A Hicksville woman wired nearly $1 million to an alleged fraudster over the course of a month after falling victim to an elder scam, Nassau County police said.

Now, Nassau County police are urging the community to be on alert.

Investigators said between June 29 and July 27, the 70-year-old Nassau County woman withdrew and wired a total of $919,200 after receiving a call claiming she was involved in a crime in India and needed to send over money to rectify the situation.

On Tuesday, the victim was contacted again and was told she needed to purchase an additional $300,000 in gold bars and coins.

That's when Nassau County police said she realized she was being scammed and contacted the police.

Nassau County police arrested Fnu Tierigeli, 32, who lives in Woodside, Queens and charged her with second-degree attempted grand larceny.

Tierigeli is scheduled to be arraigned later today.

Nassau County police are asking the community to remind vulnerable family, friends and neighbors about potential scams or frauds.

The department is asking any other potential victims to come forward and contact the Nassau County Fraud and Forgery Section at 516-573-2815.

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