2 Indian-origin men arrested for stealing $109K from elderly woman in US
Darpan News Desk IANS, 30 Mar, 2023 10:47 AM
New York, March 30 (IANS) Two Indian-origin men have been arrested for allegedly stealing over $100,000 from a 78 year-old woman in Massachusetts via a computer virus scam, police said.
Nikit S Yadav, 22, and Raj Vipul Patel, 21, of Parsippany in New Jersey were involved in a computer virus scheme and demanded funds from the victim to remove unwanted items from their computer. The victim called a tech support number to assist with an issue with her computer last week.
The suspects were arrested after they returned to the victim's residence on Monday evening to collect money from her, the Yarmouth Police said in a media statement. Both are charged with conspiracy and larceny over $1,200 by false pretenses.They were held overnight at the Yarmouth Police Department and transferred to court for arraignment. The investigation into this incident is ongoing.
An increasing number of senior people in the US are falling victim to government impersonation, sweepstakes, and robocall scams.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in 2021 there were 92,371 older victims of fraud resulting in $1.7 billion in losses.
The investigating bureau also said that senior citizens are less likely to report fraud.
In the five-year period ending December 31, 2020, the US Senate Special Committee on Aging Fraud Hotline received more than 8,000 complaints nationwide, according to the National Council on Aging.
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Ishan Wahi, 32, a former product manager at Coinbase Global, stayed in Seattle, Washington, along with his brother Nikhil Wahi, 26. They committed the cryptocurrency crime with Indian-American Sameer Ramani, 33, of Houston, the US Department of Justice said in a statement late on Thursday.
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She was found unconscious near a staircase in the home, the people said. The people could not discuss the matter publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity. The medical examiner’s office will determine an official cause of death.
