Man indicted in scam that targeted multiple Pittsburgh-area grandparents, costing them $50K
A man is charged with scamming western Pennsylvania grandparents out of tens of thousands of dollars, federal prosecutors announced on Wednesday.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania said 34-year-old Luis Alfonso Bisono Rodriguez was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of receiving stolen money that crossed a state border.
Citing the complaint, prosecutors said Rodriguez belonged to an organized crime group that operated across Pennsylvania and Ohio, running a grandparent scheme. Between October and January, prosecutors say at least five people from the Pittsburgh area lost more than $50,000, but investigators believe there are "likely many more victims" in Pennsylvania, Ohio and other states.
As part of the scam, callers impersonated a victim's grandchild and pretended to need money, either because they were arrested or in an accident. Prosecutors said the money was picked up from victims and ride-share drivers delivered it to northern Ohio, where Rodriguez was captured on surveillance videos meeting the drivers.
The FBI says elder fraud schemes, like the grandparent scam, cost seniors more than $3 billion in losses a year.
"Seniors are often targeted because they tend to be trusting and polite. They also usually have financial savings, own a home, and have good credit—all of which make them attractive to scammers," the FBI explains on its website.
Anyone who believes they know about the scam Rodriguez was allegedly helping to run — whether they were a victim or know someone who may have been a victim — is asked to report it to the FBI.
