Grandparent Scam With Cash Couriers: How a Bronx Man Was Charged for Collecting Fake Bail

In a grandparent scam with cash couriers, a caller says a grandchild has been arrested and needs bail, and then a courier comes to the grandparent’s home to collect cash. On June 25, 2024, the Justice Department unsealed an indictment charging a Bronx man with wire fraud conspiracy for allegedly acting as one of those couriers. The key rule: no real court sends someone to your door for bail money.

What happened

According to the Justice Department, an indictment unsealed in Newark, New Jersey, charged Victor Anthony Valdez, a 39-year-old man from the Bronx, with wire fraud conspiracy.

Prosecutors say the scheme ran from call centers in the Dominican Republic. Callers phoned older people in the United States. Couriers, including the defendant, then went to victims’ homes to pick up the money.

In 2020 and 2021, he allegedly collected or tried to collect tens of thousands of dollars from victims in New York and New Jersey. These are charges only. He has not been convicted.

How the call went

The Justice Department describes how the calls typically worked:

• A caller posed as the grandchild, the grandchild’s attorney or a court employee.
• The caller said the grandchild had been arrested.
• The grandparent was told cash bail was needed to get the grandchild out.
• A courier was sent to the grandparent’s home to collect the cash.

More than one “official” voice on the line makes the story feel real. That is the point.

Red flags

• “Don’t tell Mom and Dad.” Asking for secrecy keeps you from checking the story with the family.
• A “lawyer” or “court official” joins the call. Real attorneys do not phone grandparents to collect bail.
• Cash only. Requests for cash, especially in a hurry, are a warning sign.
• Someone comes to the house. A stranger picking up money at your door is a strong sign of a scam.

What would have stopped it

• Hanging up and calling the grandchild directly on the number you already have.
• Calling the parents, even when told not to. A real emergency survives one phone call to family.
• Agreeing on a family code word ahead of time, and asking for it on any crisis call.
• A simple house rule: no cash goes to anyone who shows up at the door because of a phone call.

If this happens to your family

• If a courier is on the way or at the door, call 911.
• If money has already been handed over, call your bank on the number on the back of your card.
• Report the call at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and at ic3.gov. Write down the date, time, phone numbers and what the caller said.
• Call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311), Monday to Friday, 10am to 6pm ET. Scammers sometimes pretend to be this hotline, so dial the number yourself.
• The AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline, 877-908-3360, can help you think through next steps.
• Talk with your parent without blame. These scams are run by organized groups that do this every day.

Some families add a layer of help on the phone itself. FamilyDefender checks unknown calls while they happen and can warn the parent and alert a family member if a call looks risky.