WFCN –
A man from Miami was apprehended in connection with various fraud cases throughout Florida and beyond; on one occasion, he was involved in a “grandparents scam” that deceived an elderly couple out of significant funds.
According to documents from the Miami-Dade County jail, 38-year-old Agustin Garcia-Marsan was taken into custody on Monday on accusations that include a crime of organized fraud, theft from the elderly, fraudulent use of identification information, communications fraud, and unauthorized use of a communications equipment.
A person posing as Garcia-grandfather Marzan’s called the victims earlier this month, claiming he had been in a car accident, according to an arrest report. The victims were 87 and 82 years old. This incident prompted the authorities to begin investigating Garcia-Marsan.
According to the individual, he was informed by the grandparents that he was being detained for texting while driving. He then requested legal assistance in escaping from jail.
There was a contact from the grandfather on July 3, and the “attorney” told him he required $18,500 in cash immediately since the courts would be closed on July 4, which would mean his grandson would spend more time in jail, according to the report.
Detective Brandon Cañizares of the Miami-Dade Police Department stated, “These elderly victims, they don’t have means of checking to see where their family members are. They don’t have ‘Find My Friends’ applications.” “Sometimes they will call their family member and they don’t answer, so they are very nervous they’re under stress.”
Unknown man apprehended by US Marshals following shooting of young mother in Hollywood
Upon receiving the money, the grandfather was informed that a courier was en route to collect it. Shortly after, a Lyft driver showed up to collect the shipment.
SEE MORE –
New Mexico Fraud Arrests Tied to Missing Persons Investigations
“In this case, this was a ride share driver who had no idea — he was just picking up a package and just delivering, he basically had no idea what was going on or what was inside this package,” he said.
Upon receiving a call from his grandson confirming that he was fine and had never been in an accident, the grandfather came to the realization that he had been conned and contacted the authorities, as stated in the report.
A shopping mall was where the Lyft driver met the recipient to deliver the box; the driver later recognized the recipient as Garcia-Marsan, according to the report. Surveillance film clearly showed this.
Garcia-Marsan has allegedly been involved in numerous fraud cases involving rideshares and meeting drivers at shopping plazas in North Carolina and Florida.
Garcia-Marsan allegedly used his Florida driver’s license, a photo of himself, and a credit card that linked back to his residence to create accounts using false identities, emails, and burner phone numbers, according to the report. Investigators were able to obtain records from Lyft and discovered this.
Monday saw the discovery and subsequent arrest of Garcia-Marsan, who was subsequently placed into jail. We were unable to locate any attorney details.
In recent years, the “grandparent scam” allegedly gained a lot of traction among fraudsters.
In their investigation, the perpetrators use online resources like dating and social media to gather names, relatives, and other personal details. Then, they exploit the information to prey on older people, posing as attorneys whose names are authentic in case the victims decide to research them.
The arrest of six individuals from Miami-Dade was reported just last month by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody. They were involved in a statewide “grandparent scam” operation that committed about $250,000 worth of theft from seniors.