A Woodland Hills, California, man who posed as a bank fraud investigator to trick elderly victims into surrendering their bank cards was sentenced in San Diego federal court on September 21, 2026, to 57 months in prison. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California said Franco Fuentes, 30, was also ordered to pay victims more than $270,000 and to forfeit property seized from his home, including more than $37,000 in cash and a bill-counting machine. Fuentes, a Peruvian national and green card holder, had pleaded guilty to bank fraud.
How the fake bank calls worked
In his plea agreement, Fuentes admitted that he and his criminal associates called victims and falsely claimed to be bank employees investigating fraud on the victims’ own accounts. Having convinced the victims their money was under attack, the callers persuaded them to hand over their bank cards. Fuentes then used the cards for large cash withdrawals and lavish purchases.
The calls were built to look legitimate. One victim told the court that Fuentes “fraudulently obtained my banking information by calling me from a phone line that appeared to have my U.S. Bank caller ID.” Spoofed caller ID of that kind makes a call look as though it is coming from the bank itself, which is why a familiar name on the screen is not proof of who is on the line.
In one case described by prosecutors, Fuentes targeted an 80-year-old woman by sending a rideshare driver to her house to collect her cards. He then used them for withdrawals and purchases totaling more than $43,000, including $22,000 spent at Apple stores. The woman’s daughter addressed the court at sentencing and described the emotional and psychological toll on her mother.
The call that sounds like the bank. Once a caller claiming to be from a fraud department has a card or account number, the order of the next few calls decides how much can still be stopped. That sequence is laid out step by step in the first-hour recovery plan in The Senior Fraud Defense & First-Hour Recovery Kit.
What the victims told the court
Prosecutors included victim statements in the government’s sentencing memo. A 72-year-old woman who lost $56,000 wrote: “This experience has caused me significant emotional and financial stress. As a 72-year-old woman, I never expected to have to deal with something of this magnitude.” She described ongoing worry and anxiety while trying to protect her accounts and work with the bank to resolve the unauthorized activity, and said the episode “disrupted my sense of financial security.”
Another victim, who described being elderly and in poor health, wrote that “the financial loss was devastating, but the impact of this crime goes far beyond the money that was taken.” That victim told the court the defendant’s actions “prey upon people’s trust and can cause serious harm, especially to vulnerable people.”
In messages with a co-conspirator, according to prosecutors, Fuentes referred to his victims as “vics” and boasted that the “targets are endless.”
A judge’s view of the spending
U.S. District Judge Benjamin J. Cheeks called the conduct an “awful crime” that took advantage of “some of the most vulnerable people in society—people that worked hard in their life.” The judge pointed to Fuentes’s extravagant spending of victims’ money, including a social media post in which Fuentes bragged about buying a $6,000 outfit in New York. Judge Cheeks also noted that Fuentes had previously received a generous resolution in state court for similar fraud before committing these crimes.
“Fuentes saw elderly victims as easy targets and their bank accounts as his personal ATM—and today he is paying the price for stealing money, dignity and peace of mind,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. Special Agent in Charge Mark Remily of the FBI San Diego Field Office said the defendant “shamelessly preyed on older victims, then showered himself with extravagant items at their expense without regard to consequences.”
The bank fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The case, No. 26cr404-BJC, was investigated by the San Diego Elder Justice Task Force, including the FBI and the San Diego Police Department, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric R. Olah. San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said scams of this kind “happen far too often.”
What the repayment order means for older account holders
The more than $270,000 restitution order covers the victims in this case; it is a court order against Fuentes, not a general refund program. Collecting restitution from a defendant serving a prison sentence can take years, which is why the fastest protection for older account holders comes before a card or code ever leaves their hands.
The pattern in this case has several features worth recognizing. The caller claims to be from the bank’s fraud department. The caller ID appears to match the bank. The caller says the account is compromised and urges quick action. And the caller arranges for someone, in this case a rideshare driver, to come to the house and collect the card. Banks do not send couriers to pick up debit or credit cards, and a legitimate fraud department will not object if a customer hangs up and calls back using the number printed on the back of the card or on a statement.
When a card has already been handed over, speed matters. Calling the bank directly to freeze the account, reviewing recent transactions and filing reports with local police creates the paper trail banks and investigators need. Adults 60 and older who have been victims of financial fraud can call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311), and fraud can also be reported to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. The Justice Department’s Elder Justice Initiative lists additional resources for older victims and their families.
Telling a real bank call from a convincing impostor
Every victim in this case believed the voice on the phone worked for the bank. The practical gap is having a household rule for checking a caller before anything is handed over, and a written plan for the hour after a mistake.
The Senior Fraud Defense & First-Hour Recovery Kit includes the family code word, the first-hour recovery plan and the free credit-freeze steps, which cover both the check before a card leaves the house and the calls that come next.
Set up the family code word and first-hour plan with The Senior Fraud Defense & First-Hour Recovery Kit.
This article was prepared with AI assistance and reviewed against the linked official sources.
Warren Cohen is a finance writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, covering personal finance topics including credit, banking, and beginner investing. He earned his degree in business administration from Arizona State University and began his career working in consumer finance, where he gained direct experience with lending and credit systems. He now writes for personal finance websites and fintech platforms, focusing on clear, practical content that helps readers make informed financial decisions.
