Grandparent Scam Call Centres: Six Sentenced in the US

The caller sounds frightened and says a grandchild is in trouble. The cash is picked up at the door. This case followed that script back to call centres in Canada.

By Siddharth ShankarUpdated October 11, 2026

The grandparent scam works because it is built on love. A call arrives, often late, and a voice says a grandchild has been in an accident or needs bail. The caller asks for secrecy and speed. This case followed the money back to call centres in Canada.

What happened

According to the US Attorney's Office for the Western District of Kentucky, the scheme ran through Canadian-based call centres from August 2020 to May 2021. It targeted hundreds of victims who lost over $3 million in total.

Callers claimed a grandchild or other relative had an emergency, usually a car accident, and needed money urgently. Instead of asking for a wire, the operation sent "couriers" to collect cash at victims' homes. Others in the network laundered the money through banks and cryptocurrency exchanges.

How it worked

The release describes a division of labor. Callers made contact and told the story. Couriers physically collected the cash. Launderers moved the proceeds. A single caller could not do all three jobs, and having several roles is what made the scheme efficient.

The urgency was deliberate. A victim who has no time to think and is asked not to tell other relatives has no chance to check the story. Meeting people at their door also removed the bank teller, a common point at which unusual withdrawals get questioned.

What was exposed

The release does not describe what personal data the callers held, and we do not claim any. The loss was cash, handed over in person. The fact that the scam relied on a family relationship does hint that callers had enough information to make the story believable, but the release does not specify it.

How it ended

This one ended with convictions. The sixth and final defendant, a Canadian extradited from Colombia, was sentenced on June 12, 2025 to five years and one month in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $963,290 in restitution. Others in the case received sentences ranging from six months to six years, including six years for a Canadian living in Panama in November 2023 and six years for another defendant in May 2024.

The Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation unit and the US Secret Service investigated. An ordered restitution amount is not the same as money returned, and the release does not say how much reached victims.

Key facts at a glance

• Period: August 2020 to May 2021
• Losses: over $3 million, hundreds of victims
• Method: emergency call, cash collected by couriers, proceeds laundered
• Final sentence: five years and one month, plus restitution of $963,290
• Final sentencing date: June 12, 2025
• Investigators: IRS Criminal Investigation and US Secret Service

How to protect your family

What the release does not say

The release gives no figure for money recovered and no description of what data the callers had. For a related US case with a different structure, see the grandparent scam ring sentenced under RICO.

Why this case matters

Cash pick-ups are a sign that a scam has moved from the screen to the doorstep. The scheme worked across borders, with callers in one country, couriers in another and launderers elsewhere. That is also why it took years to bring the final defendant to court, including an extradition.

If you take one practice from this case, make it the pause. Any request that combines urgency, secrecy and cash should be treated as a scam until proven otherwise by a call to a number you already trust.

Want to apply this to your own situation? These explain how scammers find your phone number and email, what an exposed phone number means and what strangers can find about you online in plain language. You can also try our free phone number exposure check.