Thirteen individuals have been charged in connection with an elaborate scam operation that defrauded more than 400 older Americans out of over $5 million, federal prosecutors announced. The scheme, operating from call centers based in the Dominican Republic, targeted elderly victims with a fraudulent tactic known as the “grandparent scam,” tricking them into believing their grandchildren or close relatives were in urgent danger and needed money immediately.

The US Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts confirmed the charges in a news release issued on August 12. The scheme is particularly insidious because it preyed upon the trust, love, and emotional vulnerability of older adults, many of whom are already facing financial insecurity in retirement. The average age of victims in this case was reported to be 84, underscoring the predatory nature of the scam.

According to Leah B. Foley, the US Attorney for Massachusetts, the scammers’ primary objective was to convince parents, grandparents, neighbors, and friends to part with their life savings under false pretenses. “Their goal,” Foley stated, “was to trick our parents, grandparents, neighbors, and friends into handing over their life savings on false pretenses. And they succeeded.”

Of the 13 individuals charged in federal court in Massachusetts, nine are currently in custody, while two remain at large in the United States and another two are in the Dominican Republic, officials reported. Charges against the accused include conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, as well as money laundering conspiracy. If convicted, the suspects could face decades in federal prison. At least one of the defendants has already pleaded guilty.

Central to the operation was 33-year-old Oscar Manuel Castanos Garcia,........

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