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CROMWELL, Conn. — A Connecticut man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Wisconsin, charged with conspiring to commit wire fraud, according to federal prosecutors. The indictment alleges that 26-year-old Matthew Ramos-Soto, of Hartford, stole approximately $200,000 from elderly residents in Wisconsin over five days in October of 2022. Ramos-Soto is accused of contacting elderly individuals by telephone and falsely representing that a relative had been arrested following an accident, and that money for bail was needed. The indictment further alleges that Ramos-Soto and his co-conspirators traveled throughout Wisconsin to pick up cash in person from the targeted individuals, according to Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Hensle who announced the indictment.
Better Business Bureau has not received any reports or complaints from Connecticut residents about Ramos-Soto. However, the organization regularly receives reports on BBB's Scam Tracker from individuals around the country who've been targeted by the "grandparent scam." Emergency scams often target older adults, preying on their willingness to help their families. Please share these tips with loved ones who could be targeted by a similar scam.
- Resist the urge to act immediately, no matter how dramatic the story is. Check out the story with other family and friends, but hang up or close the message and call your loved one directly. Don’t call the phone number provided by the caller or caller ID. Ask questions that would be hard for an impostor to answer correctly.
- Know what your family members are sharing online. You may not have control over your family's social media accounts, but familiarize yourself with what they share online.
- Don't wire any money if there is any doubt about the call. If a person wires money and later realizes it is a fraud, the police must be alerted.
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