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.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the agency is developing an initiative for “fair access” to vaccines and treatments that it hopes will be ready within weeks. The mechanism was proposed shortly after Britain, Canada, France, Germany, the U.S. and other countries reported hundreds of monkeypox cases last month.
As of Friday, the U.S. had identified 45 cases in 15 states and the District of Columbia. More than 1,300 cases have been found in about 30 other countries outside the areas of Africa where the virus is endemic.
Officers responded to the Columbia Machine Inc. at around 2:30 p.m, where they found the four victims, the Washington County Sheriff's Office wrote in the latest press release. The suspect fled the scene prior to law enforcement's arrival. The suspect's vehicle was later encountered by Maryland State Police.
The initial mandate allowed those who were fully vaccinated to show proof of a negative test within three days of travel, while unvaccinated people had to present a test taken within one day of travel.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian also rejected accusations that China had not fully cooperated with investigators, saying it welcomed a science-based probe but rejected any political manipulation.
In a report released Thursday, WHO’s expert group said “key pieces of data” to explain how the pandemic began were still missing. The scientists said the group would “remain open to any and all scientific evidence that becomes available in the future to allow for comprehensive testing of all reasonable hypotheses.”
