The suspect and his co-conspirators are accused of scamming elderly citizens

Aug 20, 2013 06:50 GMT  ·  By

Lottery scams make a lot of victims in the United States. As part of their ongoing efforts against such crimes, US authorities have arrested a Jamaican citizen believed to be involved in a scam that targeted elderly individuals.

According to the Department of Justice, Oneike Mickhale Barnett and his co-conspirators contacted potential victims from the US and told them they had won money and various other prizes in a lottery.

The scammers allegedly tricked their victims into handing over thousands of dollars supposedly representing fees needed to release the money.

The fraudsters used Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) technology when calling victims. This allowed them to spoof the numbers they were calling from to make it look like the calls came from within the US.

Unsuspecting individuals were convinced to send the money to middlemen located in South Florida. These middlemen would forward the money to Jamaica.

Barnett, who was arrested in Orlando, Florida, has been charged with conspiracy and 37 counts of wire fraud – both types of offences being committed via telemarketing.

If found guilty, the Jamaican faces up to 30 years in prison per count.

“Lottery scams that target older Americans, such as the one alleged here, are the most pernicious kind of fraud – often swindling seniors out of their life savings,” noted Stuart Delery, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s civil division.

“The Justice Department will continue to combat these schemes and bring those responsible to justice.”

“These individuals are preying on some of the most vulnerable members in our communities. We will continue to work with our partners in Jamaica and other law enforcement agencies to put these criminal enterprises out of business,” said Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations in Miami Alysa Erichs.