DR1 Daily News - Dominican Republic

The US Department of Justice informs that a massive “grandparent scam” operating out of the Dominican Republic has been dismantled, leading to charges against 13 individuals. The transnational scheme allegedly defrauded more than 400 elderly victims in the United States, including at least 50 in Massachusetts, of over US$5 million.

The scheme, orchestrated by what authorities are calling a sophisticated “call center” operation, targeted seniors with an average age of 84. The perpetrators tricked victims into believing that a grandchild or other close family member was in trouble and desperately needed money.

According to charging documents, the operation was led by Oscar Manuel Castanos Garcia. His call centers in the Dominican Republic employed English-speaking co-conspirators who followed scripts to impersonate a grandchild who was in a car...