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CBS News
6 days ago
- CBS News
Uber drivers help end scam targeting hundreds of grandparents, U.S. Attorney says
Federal investigators charged 13 people in connection with what they describe as a "cruel and malicious" grandparent scheme that resulted in hundreds of elderly people losing millions of dollars. U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley said the investigation got underway when Uber, whose drivers appeared to have been unknowing participants, flagged the scam to the FBI. Foley announced the charges during a news briefing Tuesday at Moakley Federal Courthouse in Boston. Two people remain at large in the Dominican Republic, where the scam was allegedly based, and two are at large in the United States, Foley said. The U.S. Attorney said organized call centers in the Dominican Republic were used to target elderly victims, many in Massachusetts. "Their goal was to trick our grandparents, parents, neighbors and friends into handing over their life savings under false pretenses. And they succeeded in stealing millions," Foley said. Foley said people would receive a call from someone pretending to be their grandchild. The call center would use an "opener," saying things like, "I've been in an accident," or "I need money to post bail." Then a "closer" would get on the line and pretend to be a lawyer demanding cash. Once the person on the other line was convinced, they were directed to hand over thousands of dollars in cash to "runners," often using Uber drivers who Foley said did not know they were part of a scam. The suspects would call an Uber driver and use an excuse, saying something like their grandmother is putting documents in a car and transporting them. Other times, they'd have the Uber pick up the elderly person and bring them to the bank. The money would be brought to someone else, who allegedly laundered it to the suspects. There were about 400 victims, 50 from the United States. Foley said she believes there were other victims who never reported crimes because they were too ashamed of what happened to them. The Uber Global Security team flagged the scam to the FBI. Foley said Uber has since made changes to how it trains its drivers so they can help prevent similar incidents. "I'm here to say that we have had enough of this. Preying on our elderly and the alleged conduct by these depraved individuals is ruthless and immoral," Foley said. According to Foley, victims will most likely not get their money back. The Justice Department website has resources for how to prevent similar scams in the future.
CBS News
19-06-2025
- CBS News
Man charged in "good Samaritan" scam targeting older Floridians, police say
A Romanian national has been arrested in Delray Beach for allegedly targeting elderly people in what's known as a "good Samaritan" scam. Delray Beach police said surveillance video from a Whole Foods store shows 32-year-old Romica Aciocanasei following a woman out of the store. "The suspect says, 'hey, you dropped a 20, waves a 20 (dollar bill) in front of her, and tells her to put it in her wallet. As she opens up her wallet, you could actually see him put his hand over her wallet and remove her debit card," Delray Beach police Detective Gio Milicchio said. The video shows he said he was able to take the woman's card without her even noticing. Milicchio said this wasn't an isolated incident. He said Aciocanasei, who's been using a fake identity, is tied to a statewide crime ring targeting older adults from Palm Beach County to Pinellas County, and even Texas. The case is now part of a larger statewide investigation involving multiple agencies. They call it a distraction scam. "Usually they would target big box grocery stores. They would stand behind the victim in line. As the victim was punching their PIN number into the little terminal, they would watch them punch their PIN number in," Milicchio said. He said once they have the PIN, they'll then approach their target, claiming they dropped cash to get into their wallet or purse. "He was definitely working with at least five to six other people doing the same thing. Dressing the same, they all had thick beards, they all tried to look alike so they could throw people off," Milicchio said. Milicchio said surveillance video shows him using stolen debit cards just minutes after the theft, sometimes withdrawing thousands of dollars in cash at multiple locations. Aciocanasei was finally caught outside the Whole Foods store in January after he and a female accomplice were seen approaching multiple shoppers. She ran, but police were able to detain him. "We were never able to get anything on him, just a surveillance video. Since they were foreigners, nobody was ever able to locally ID them," Milicchio said. According to investigators, Aciocanasei also has a criminal history in Europe and may be tied to a larger Romanian theft ring operating in the U.S. Aciocanasei, who's facing charges ranging from grand theft to racketeering, is being held in the Palm Beach County Jail.
