The Brief
- Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier held a news conference announcing an operation targeting inmates using cell phones and other technology in jail to try to scam seniors out of money.
- State investigators have identified at least three cases so far, but expect there to be more.
- One case involved a 92-year-old man in Hillsborough County, who was tricked into giving a scammer hundreds of thousands of dollars.
TAMPA, Fla. – State and local law enforcement officials say detectives seized dozens of cellphones from Florida prisons, including devices used by inmates to scam seniors statewide.
Operation Triple Threat
The backstory:
At a news conference in Tampa on Monday, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said Operation Triple Threat focused on three state prisons with a combined population of about 3,000 inmates.
Officials said investigators confiscated about 40 phones, adding that some inmates were using technology – including cryptocurrency – while convincing seniors to either purchase services, pay a fine for missing jury duty or to cover toll violations, or enter into relationships.
Uthmeier said the exact number of suspects facing charges is not known yet as formal charges have not been brought against them, but there are at least three known cases of seniors losing money.…