Spoofed Bank Caller ID and Rideshare Pickups: San Diego Bank Imposter Sentenced to 57 Months

The sentence

On September 21, 2026, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California, part of the Department of Justice (DOJ), announced that Franco Fuentes, 30, of Woodland Hills, California, was sentenced to 57 months in prison. He was ordered to pay victims more than $270,000 and to forfeit property seized from his residence, including more than $37,000 in cash and a bill-counting machine. The case number is 26cr404-BJC, and the charge was bank fraud under 18 U.S.C. Section 1344(2).

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and San Diego Police Department investigated through the San Diego Elder Justice Task Force.

How the scheme worked

According to the plea agreement as described by DOJ:

• Fuentes and his associates called victims and falsely claimed to be bank employees investigating fraud on their accounts.
• Victims were tricked into surrendering their bank cards, which Fuentes used for cash withdrawals and lavish purchases.
• For one 80 year old victim, Fuentes sent a rideshare driver to her house and then used her cards to make withdrawals and purchases totaling more than $43,000, including $22,000 at Apple stores.

One victim wrote to the court that the defendant "fraudulently obtained my banking information by calling me from a phone line that appeared to have my U.S. Bank caller ID." Another victim, a 72 year old woman, lost $56,000.

In messages with a co-conspirator, Fuentes referred to victims as "vics" and boasted that the "targets are endless." U.S. District Judge Benjamin J. Cheeks called the conduct an "awful crime" and noted that Fuentes had previously received a generous resolution in state court for similar fraud.

The bottom line:

The victim statements describe spoofed caller ID displaying a real bank's identity. That single technical step made the fake fraud investigation believable and set up the in-person card handoff.

Key takeaways

1. Caller ID spoofing of financial institutions made the calls in this case believable, according to a victim statement.
2. The "fraud investigation" pretext turns a victim's caution into compliance.
3. Rideshare and courier pickups connect phone fraud to physical theft of cards and cash.
4. Repeat offenders face federal exposure. The judge cited a prior state resolution for similar conduct.
5. Victims can report Victims should report fraud to the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 or Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).