MADISON, Wis — A Hartford man was indicted earlier this month for defrauding older residents of Wisconsin over the phone.
Matthew Ramos-Soto, 26, was federally indicted on Oct. 11 on conspiring to commit wire fraud charges, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin.
From Oct. 24-28, 2022, Ramos-Soto allegedly called older residents and falsely told them that a relative had been arrested and that they needed bail money, according to the indictment. The co-conspirators involved would impersonate attorneys or judges and would tell the victims that there was a "gag order" and that their relative might face more consequences if the victims told anyone about the case.
Ramos-Soto and his co-conspirators would travel throughout Wisconsin and pick up cash in person from those individuals, the indictment states.
About $200,000 was taken over the five days, officials said. In three specific incidents, $5,000 was taken from an individual in Wrightstown, Wis., $17,545 from someone in Fitchburg, Wis., and $12,500 from another in Hobart, Wis.
Ramos-Soto is in custody in Michigan as of Oct. 12 and a U.S. District Court date has not yet been set.
The Better Business Bureau of Connecticut is reminding consumers that these kinds of scams happen often, and it has a name: "the grandparent scam."
The grandparent scam targets individuals with a made-up urgent situation about a family member pleading for help and money. Some scams can be complex, using information and audio from social media to mimic members of one's family to make the scam more convicting, according to the BBB.
When approached by a possible grandparent scam, or all scams for that matter, do not act immediately, no matter how dramatic the situation is. Hang up and check with other family members and friends. Do not call the phone number back. If you're still on the phone with the caller, ask questions that would be hard for an impostor to know the answer.
Be familiar with what family members are sharing online, as scammers may use this information to make their scheme more convincing.
If there is any doubt about the phone call, do not wire any money. If an individual wires money and later realizes it was a fraud, call police and report the fraud.
Report a scam to the BBB Scam Tracker.
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