A New York man was charged in an international “grandparent scam” that preyed on New Jersey and New York residents with grandchildren, U.S. District Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said Tuesday.
Victor Anthony Valdez, 39, of the Bronx, New York was charged by a federal grand jury with one count of wire fraud conspiracy after authorities said he collected tens of thousands of dollars from grandparents in New Jersey and New York after they agreed to pay to help their grandchildren with legal issues.
The scam operated from call centers in the Dominican Republic and would make phone calls to elderly Americans purporting to be their grandchildren, attorneys of their grandchildren or court employees that needed money for their grandchildren’s legal issues, authorities said.
Conspirators making the calls told grandparents that their grandchildren had been arrested and needed cash for bail and other legal expenses, according to the indictment. Once the victims were convinced of the validity of the call through lies and falsehoods, they were told to provide cash to couriers that included Valdez, authorities said.
For one year, from August 2020 to August 2021, Valdez allegedly collected tens of thousands of dollars from victims in New Jersey and New York. Exactly how much the scammers and Valdez collected was not shared by officials Tuesday.
An attorney for Valdez was not listed Tuesday afternoon. Elder fraud complaints can be reported and filed at www.reportfraud.ftc.gov or by calling 877-FTC-HELP.
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Matthew Enuco may be reached at Menuco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Matt on X.
