Participant Of “Grandparents Scam” Sentenced To Prison In Connecticut

Yesterday, July 9th,  Edward Rosario-Canela was sentenced to 12 months and one day of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for his role in a “grandparents scam” that defrauded elderly victims of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Edward was part of a scam that originated in the Dominican Republic. 19 others have been charged.

What Is The Grandparents Scam?

The “Grandparents Scam” is the latest concoction from foreign scammers.

It involves a significant amount of research and co-ordination on the scammers part, but the payoff can be huge.

Scammers first start by researching the victim by finding their social media accounts and other public information to identify who their kids are and other family members.

Once scammers find a link between the family members of an elderly person, such as a grandparent and a grandchild, the scammers then call the grandparent and fabricate a story that their grandchildren are in trouble and need monetary help.

According to a complaint in Federal Court, scammers ripped off Connecticut residents to the tune of $20,000+

On or about August 14, 2019, a co-conspirator contacted a victim with the initials R.V., a resident of Pennsylvania, by telephone. The co-conspirator falsely claimed to be R.V.’s son and stated he had been charged with driving under the influence. The co-conspirator further mentioned that a lawyer named “Gary Scott” would call R.V. later that day.

That same day, R.V. received telephone calls from individuals pretending to be Attorney Gary Scott and a court clerk. Based on the fraudulent statements made by these co-conspirators, R.V. sent $7,900 in cash via FedEx to an address on Park Street, Hartford, Connecticut.

Following additional fraudulent statements made over the telephone, R.V. sent $9,800 in cash on or about August 15, 2019, and $19,700 in cash on or about August 16, 2019, both via FedEx, to the same address on Park Street in Hartford.

Edward Rosario-Canela picked up these three packages, took his share of the money, and then, using a third party, sent the remaining funds to co-conspirators located in the Dominican Republic.

FBI Issues Warning About Grandparents Scam

The FBI warns of criminal actors’ alleged use of couriers to collect money in a grandparent fraud scheme.

Criminal actors target elderly U.S. citizens in a grandparent fraud scheme in which they arrange for couriers to pick up bail money in person at the victim’s residence. Criminals telephonically contact their victims and pose as a grandchild, or another family member, in distress who has been arrested and needs bail money. They may also pose as a representative of the detained relative, such as an attorney or a bail-bondsman. Criminal actors then send couriers to collect the money in person from the victim’s residence. In some instances, ride share drivers are used to pick up the money.

According to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), confidence fraud schemes accounted for the highest losses reported by the elderly in 2020 with more than $280 million in complaints. From January 2020 to June 2021, the FBI IC3 received over 650 reports of potential grandparent scams, resulting in losses of more than $13 million. During that timeframe, over 90 victims reported money was picked up from their home, resulting in losses of more than $3.6 million.

TIPS ON HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF:

• Be careful what you post online. Scammers can use details shared on social media platforms and dating sites for targeting purposes.
• Be suspicious of telephone calls that require you to immediately take action and request bail money for a family member in distress. Contact the family member directly for confirmation.
• Be careful with caller IDs that look familiar. Scammers may use technology to disguise the actual number they are calling from (“spoof”) and make it appear as a trusted number.
• Never give personal identifiable information or money to anyone you have only communicated with by telephone or online.

If you believe you have been a victim of a grandparent fraud scheme, report the fraud to your local FBI field office. The FBI also encourages victims to report fraudulent or suspicious activities to the FBI IC3 at www.ic3.gov.