加拿大男子操纵“祖父母骗局”诈骗美老年人 伯灵顿联邦法院判刑 33 个月
10 月 6 日，加拿大籍男子保罗·康内（Paul Conneh）在佛蒙特州伯灵顿联邦法院被判处 33 个月监禁，罪名是参与针对美国老年人的“祖父母骗局”（grandparent scam）。据美国司法部佛蒙特州检察官办公室通报，康内是该跨国诈骗团伙的成员之一，负责在美国境内收取并转移赃款。
所谓“祖父母骗局”，是指骗子冒充受害者的孙辈或亲属打电话，谎称遭遇车祸、被捕或身处海外急需用钱，诱使老年人通过快递寄送现金或购买礼品卡。据检方介绍，该团伙通过设在加拿大的呼叫中心拨打诈骗电话，再由康内等人在美国境内充当“取款人”，上门收取受害人寄出的现金包裹。
调查显示，该团伙在佛蒙特州及周边多州作案，受害者多为 70 岁以上的独居老人，单案涉案金额从数千美元到数万美元不等。检方在量刑听证会上表示，此类骗局利用老年人对亲人的牵挂，手段卑劣，社会危害极大。
法官除判处监禁外，还命令康内支付赔偿金，并在刑满后接受 supervised release（监督释放）。司法部官员提醒公众：接到自称亲属的紧急求助电话时，务必先挂断并通过已知号码回拨核实，切勿直接寄送现金。
（来源：美国司法部佛蒙特州检察官办公室）
Canadian Man Sentenced to 33 Months in Burlington for 'Grandparent Scam' Targeting Elderly Americans
On October 6, Canadian national Paul Conneh was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison in Burlington, Vermont, for his role in a 'grandparent scam' targeting elderly Americans, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Vermont announced. Conneh was a member of a transnational fraud ring, serving as a money collector who retrieved and laundered victims' cash inside the United States.
In the so-called grandparent scam, fraudsters call victims posing as a grandchild or relative, claiming to have been in a car accident, arrested, or stranded abroad and urgently needing money, then trick seniors into mailing cash or buying gift cards. According to prosecutors, the ring operated call centers in Canada to place the scam calls, while Conneh and others acted as 'runners' in the U.S., picking up cash packages mailed by victims.
The investigation showed the ring operated across Vermont and neighboring states, with victims mostly seniors over 70 living alone; individual losses ranged from several thousand to tens of thousands of dollars. At the sentencing hearing, prosecutors said the scheme cruelly exploited elderly victims' love for their families.
In addition to prison time, the judge ordered Conneh to pay restitution and serve a term of supervised release after his sentence. Justice Department officials reminded the public: when receiving an urgent call claiming to be from a relative, hang up and call back on a known number to verify — never mail cash directly.
(Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Vermont)
图片来源：图：位于佛蒙特州伯灵顿的联邦大楼（联邦法院所在地）。摄影：Farragutful，CC BY-SA 4.0，来源：Wikimedia Commons
