BOSTON (WBZ) - Federal investigators charged 13 people in connection with what they describe as a “cruel and malicious” grandparents scam that resulted in hundreds of elderly people losing millions of dollars.

U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley said Tuesday the investigation got underway when Uber, whose drivers appeared to have been unknowing participants, flagged the scam to the FBI. The alleged scammers operated out of call centers in the Dominican Republic.

“Their goal was to trick our grandparents, parents, neighbors and friends into handing over their life savings under false pretenses, and they succeeded in stealing millions,” Foley said.

Ransel St. Arlin Tavarez Jimenez holds a stack of cash allegedly gathered as part of a grandparents scam. He is one of four suspects wh

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