A Cuban resident in Miami was arrested this Monday after scamminng a couple of elderly people out of thousands of dollars, in addition to being involved in multiple fraud incidents in Florida and North Carolina, according to police reports.
Agustín García Marsán, 38 years old, faces charges that include organized scheme to defraud, theft from the elderly, fraudulent use of identification information, communications fraud, and illegal use of a communication device, according to Miami-Dade jail records.
According to a report from NBC Miami, on July 3, the victims, aged 87 and 82, received a call from a man who pretended to be their grandson and told them that he had been in a car accident.
The individual told them that he had been arrested for sending messages from his cell phone while driving and asked them to contact a lawyer to help him get out of prison.
The elderly man called the supposed lawyer, who asked him for $18,500 in cash for the "grandson's" bail, an amount that had to be delivered on the same day, as the following day was a holiday for July 4th and the courts would be closed.
When the gentleman collected the money, a Lyft driver came to pick up the package, as instructed.
It was not until later that the grandfather discovered the scam, when he called his grandson, who assured him that he was fine and had not been involved in any car accident.
The victim reported to the police, and the investigation started immediately. Through surveillance videos, it was confirmed that the Lyft driver went to a shopping mall, where he delivered the package to a man identified as García Marsán, according to the police report.
The authorities discovered that the Cuban has been involved in multiple fraud incidents in Florida and North Carolina, using the same method: rideshare and meetings with drivers at shopping malls.
During the investigation, detectives obtained information from Lyft and discovered that García Marsán used accounts with false names, also fictitious emails, and disposable phone numbers to operate.
However, he used his Florida driver's license, a photo of himself, and a credit card that directed to his address.
This Monday, he was finally found and arrested.
The so-called "grandparent scam" has become a common form of fraud in recent years in the U.S.
Those involved in this type of crime investigate elderly victims, their family connections, and other relevant information before proceeding with the scam.
Many Cubans residing in Florida and other states have been arrested for defrauding elderly individuals.
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