Stoneham Police Department Charges Lawrence Man in Connection with Elder Financial Scam

STONEHAM — Chief James O’Connor reports that the Stoneham Police Department arrested and charged a Lawrence man after a month-long investigation into a scam that stole $6,800 from an elderly resident.

WAGNER BEREGUETE-CASTILLO, AGE 34, of LAWRENCE, was charged with Larceny Over $1,200 by False Pretense.

On Aug. 11, at 3:30 p.m., Stoneham Police were dispatched to a Stoneham residence regarding a report of fraud.

Detectives learned that the victim, an elderly person, had been told that their son had been arrested and needed bail money. The victim was instructed to provide $6,800 to an Uber driver who had unknowingly been hired to collect the money on the suspect’s behalf.

The Uber driver collected the money from the victim and later delivered it to the suspect in a parking lot at approximately 4:41 p.m. on Aug. 11.

Through a thorough investigation by Stoneham Police Detective Dave Ryan, the suspect was identified as BEREGUETE-CASTILLO. A warrant for BEREGUETE-CASTILLO’s arrest was obtained, and he was arrested without incident on Sept. 3 with assistance from the Wilmington Police Department.

BEREGUETE-CASTILLO was arraigned in Woburn District Court on Sept. 3.

“I want to commend Detective Dave Ryan for his thorough investigative work in this case,” said Chief O’Connor. “Scammers often use convincing stories and a sense of urgency to pressure victims into handing over money. We encourage residents to be cautious anytime someone unexpectedly asks for money, especially when they claim a loved one is in trouble.” 

Stoneham Police would like to remind residents of the following scam safety tips:

• Never share personal information over the phone.
• Never respond to unknown phone numbers.
• Don’t click on any hyperlinks.
• Report and block numbers that appear to be scams.
• Scammers often tell you to pay using difficult-to-recover payment methods, including cash, gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency.
• Scammers pretend to be from an organization you know or a government-affiliated organization.

For more info and tips, click here.

###