Uber has helped end a "cruel and malicious" grandparent scam that resulted in multiple charges against 13 people who investigators say bilked hundreds of elderly people out of more than $5 million dollars.
U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley announced the charges, which include conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy, at a Tuesday news conference at the Moakley Federal Courthouse in Boston.
According to Foley, two suspects remain at large in the Dominican Republic, and two are at large in the United States.
"Their goal was to trick our grandparents, parents, neighbors and friends into handing over their life savings under false pretenses," the U.S. attorney said. "And they succeeded in stealing millions."
Elderly victims, many of who are Massachusetts residents, were reportedly targeted by call centers in the Dominican Republic.
The average age of the victims was 84 years old.
Foley explained that people would receive a call from a scammer at the Dominican call center pretending to be their grandchild. The "opener" would say things like, "I've been in an accident," or "I need money to post bail."
A "closer" would then take over the call, pretend to be a lawyer, and demand cash from the victim.
After the targeted individual was convinced, they were told to give thousands of dollars in cash to "runners," who often used Uber drivers to transport the money. According to Foley, the Uber drivers were not aware they were participating in a scam.
The scammers would call an Uber and use excuses like their grandmother is putting documents in a car to be delivered or have the Uber pick up the victim and take them to the bank.
The money would then be conveyed to someone else, who allegedly laundered it to the suspects.
Of the approximately 400 victims, 50 were from the United States.
Foley said she believes the number of victims is underreported because people may have been too ashamed of being taken advantage of to contact police.
"I'm here to say that we have had enough of this," she said. "Preying on our elderly and the alleged conduct by these depraved individuals is ruthless and immoral."
The Uber Global Security Team brought the scam to the FBI's attention and has reportedly implemented training changes so its drivers can better recognize the signs of a scam.
In a statement obtained by CBS News, Uber said it tried to prevent further losses by monitoring the suspects as law enforcement conducted its investigation.
"This case exemplifies how Uber uses anti-fraud technology to swiftly detect and proactively report suspicious activity to law enforcement," an Uber spokesperson said. "We commend the efforts of investigators who have worked diligently to bring these individuals to justice and help protect our communities. Uber takes fraud seriously and continues to invest in technology to help prevent, detect, and address it across our platform."
The U.S. attorney said people who believe they have been victimized by this scam should email USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov or call 1-800-225-5324.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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