Grandparent Scammer Gets Arrested

New Scam Reporting Tool Opens Up in New Jersey

Author

Morgan Davidson
March 30, 2025

SENIOR SCAM ARREST
Grandparent Scammer Gets Arrested

This week, there was a major breakthrough with the arrest of a grandparent scammer that is part of a larger organized crime syndicate from the Dominican Republic.

Luis Alfonso Bisono Rodriguez, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Pennsylvania on charges of receiving stolen money that crossed a state border.

Prosecutors said Rodriguez belonged to an crime group that operated across Pennsylvania and Ohio, running a grandparent scheme. Between October and January, prosecutors say at least five people from the Pittsburgh area lost more than $50,000, but investigators believe there are "likely many more victims" in Pennsylvania, Ohio and other states.

As part of the Grandparent scam, the criminals would impersonate the victim's grandchild and pretend to need money. They would claim that the grandchild was either arrested or in an accident. This scam is a commonly used one, especially with AI.

Thelma - the movie about a Grandparent scam

This scam has been going on for decades and was recently part of the plot in the movie, Thelma.

Criminals can easily find the name of the grandchildren through social media posts and even replicate the voice with AI. From there, they ask the victim for money and plead with the victim not to tell the parents because they’re in trouble. Typically, they will ask for money via gift cards, cash, or cryptocurrency.

In the case of this crime syndicate, they would request cash and pick up the money from victims directly or use ride-share drivers to deliver it to northern Ohio, where Rodriguez was captured on surveillance videos meeting the drivers.

In the case of the grandparent scam, the best way to respond to it is to call the parents, ask questions of the victim, and report it to authorities. Of course, it’s easier said than done given the emotion of the moment. These criminals know it is an emotional call and do their best to stress the urgency of the situation so the victim doesn’t hang up or call anyone else.

If you believe you’ve been a victim of the grandparent scam, please email us and we will help you to fill out the paperwork to properly report it.