MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Two women, ages 72 and 74, told police officers they handed over $35,000 to a group of fraudsters because they thought they were helping their relatives.
Miami-Dade police detectives said both scams started with a phone call. During two separate occasions, the fraudsters convinced their victims that a relative was arrested after a car crash.
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“The caller advised the victims that an attorney was going to assist them in preventing their relative from going to jail,” Detective Lee Cowart said in a statement.
Both of the victims also spoke to another person claiming to be an attorney. That fraudster asked the women to go to the bank and withdraw cash. Cowart said Aquiles Brito-Bigott pretended to be a security courier in both thefts.
Police arrested Brito-Bigott, 37, on Friday. He is facing charges of organized scheme to defraud, grand theft and theft from the elderly.
Detectives are asking anyone with information about the fraudsters to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.