Man, Woman Arrested For ‘Grandparent Scam,’ Accused Of Tricking Seniors Out Of Thousands

Edmond and Oklahoma City police arrested Roger Ray and Jabriex Mann on Friday in connection with multiple scams targeting seniors. 

Officers arrested Roger Ray II, 37, and Jabriex Mann, 27, of Georgia and booked them into the Oklahoma County Detention Center on multiple criminal counts including conspiracy, exploitation of the elderly and obtaining by false pretenses. 

The pair, according to police, attempted to steal more than $15,000 in cash from an Edmond man in his 80s on Friday. 

Someone claiming to be an attorney called the man and said his nephew was in jail and needed the cash to pay bond. The caller instructed the victim to put the cash in a manilla folder and wait for “Adam Jones from the bondsman’s office” to pick it up, according to court documents. 

While the man was withdrawing the cash, a bank teller warned him of the scam and called police. 

Officers waited with the victim until the so-called bondsman arrived. Someone knocked on the door and claimed to be “Adam Jones,” and then said his name was Roger Ray. 

Mann was outside the home waiting in a car and was also detained. 

Police searched Ray’s phone and found text conversations on the messaging app Telegram. The messages included names, addresses, and dollar amounts owed. Information matching that of the male victim in his 80’s was found, according to an affidavit of probable cause. 

Mann told police she was in town to meet people and said, “she was a ‘chef’ and ‘currency trader,’” according to the affidavit. 

Police said Ray’s appearance is similar to a male suspect who was photographed in a separate Oklahoma City case from last week where someone was scammed in a similar manner. 

An Edmond woman in her 70s reported losing $9,500 after a similar scam last week, according to police. Once he was in custody, Ray said he was involved in the theft, according to police.