In late March, 2025, the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested 34-year-old Luis Rodriguez for serving as a money mule for a “grandparent” scam, where:
- The scammers will call their elderly victims under the guise of an attorney representing a relative of theirs who needs financial assistance.
- The victims will be asked to withdraw money from their bank accounts and hand them off to a designated courier or money mule, who will deliver the packages to Rodriguez at a nearby restaurant.
- Rodriguez will then wire the obtained funds to a Dominican bank account.
Rodriguez was arrested in Cleveland, Ohio and extradited to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he entered a plea of “not guilty.”