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.
There are an estimated 25,000 Indian students in Ukraine alone who are pursuing medicine, engineering, and science courses. More than 2,500 students from Tamil Nadu are estimated to be studying in Ukraine.
The Foreign Secretary stated that External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has spoken to his Polish, Romanian, Hungarian, and Slovakian counterparts for setting up a camp at border areas for evacuation of stranded Indian nationals. He also stated that flight options are available through Dubai and Istanbul and that the Indian Embassy continues to be operational in Ukraine.
The Ministry of External Affairs in touch with all the neighbouring countries surrounding Ukraine to even evacuate Indian citizens. Many citizens who were to fly back to India were left at the airport after closure of Ukrainian airspace following Russia's Vladimir Putin announcement of a military operation in Ukraine.
Amidst the prevailing tension, the Indian students stranded in Ukraine are left with no choice but to queue up outside the Indian Embassy in Kiev seeking the authorities' help as they ran out of food and money. The Russian military actions in Ukraine have triggered panic among all sections, including students from India.
Clashes have also been taking place around the capital Kiev in the north and the Black Sea port cities of Odesa and Mariupol in the south, the report said. Air strikes from Russia have been carried out on Ukrainian military bases and airports, with fierce fighting reported around a key airport near Kiev.
The top of the Tower shone bright with a burnt orange top Tuesday, February 22, 2022 to celebrate student Jaskaran Singh’s victory in the “Jeopardy! National College Championship" shared the university's website.
