N.j. Pair Accused Of Bilking More Than $150K From At Least 70 People

[dotnetrockz]

LEONIA – A man and a woman living in Middlesex County were arrested and charged with bilking at least 70 people in 32 states out of more than $150,000 by persuading them that they owed back taxes to the Internal Revenue Service and would be arrested if they did not pay up immediately, authorities said Tuesday.

LEONIA POLICE DEPARTMENT

Nikita Natvarlal Patel (left); Akash Satish Patel (right)

Leonia Police Chief Thomas P. Rowe said a man identified as Akash Satish Patel, 32, and a woman identified as Nikita Natvarlal Patel, 25, were arrested in Union as they arrived at a CVS store to claim the proceeds of a MoneyGram sent to them by one of their victims.

Rowe said the pair were not related, although they have the same last name and they both reside at the same address in Iselin, in Middlesex County.

What to do

If someone calls you claiming you owe back taxes, the IRS recommends you take the following measures:

• Terminate the call.
• Call the IRS directly at (800) 829-1040 if you want to determine whether you owe arrears.
• Report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 800-366-4484 or via tigta.gov.
• File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission using its online Complaint Assistant; choose “Other” and then “Imposter Scams,” including the words “IRS Telephone Scam” in the notes.
•  More information on reporting tax scams can be found at irs.gov by typing “scam” into the site's search box.

 

Both are citizens of India, Rowe said, and Nikita Patel is in the United States on an expired visa.

Both Patels were arrested on Sept. 4, after an investigation that started two days earlier, when Detective Michael Jennings received a call from a man in Lexington, Ky., who reported that he had been the victim of an IRS scam.

Rowe said the Kentucky man told Jennings he had been told in a phone call that he owed $1,400 to the IRS, and that he would be arrested if he did not pay.

The man was instructed to send the money to a MoneyGram account in the name of Vincent Arora at a CVS store on Broad Avenue in Leonia, Rowe said.

Jennings was able to obtain a security camera video recording of a man making the pickup of the wired money at the CVS, and created still shots to put out a statewide bulletin, Rowe said.

The next day, the detective contacted MoneyGram and learned that a man identified as Vincent Arora had made about 30 transactions in the previous week at MoneyGram locations across the state, the chief said.

The Global Security Department at MoneyGram informed the detective that a transaction was about to take place at the company’s location in a Walmart store in Watchung Township, in Somerset County, Rowe said.

The chief said Jennings contacted Walmart and the Watchung Police Department, but by the time Watchung police arrived at the location, they had missed the transaction by 10 minutes.

With the help of Watchung Detecive Brian Emerick, Rowe said, Jennings was able to obtain video footage of the transaction at Walmart, together with a video recording of another transaction the suspect made with his personal Bank of America debit card, and video of the suspect’s car in the Walmart parking lot.

Comparing the video images, Jennings concluded that the man who made the pickup in Watching was the same man who had collected money in Leonia, Rowe said, and the next day, Sept. 4, Jennings learned from Bank of America that the man’s real identity was Akash Patel. He had been calling himself Vincent Arora.

Next, Jennings learned that “Arora” was about to cash in a MoneyGram at a CVS store in Elizabeth, so he contacted the manager of that store and learned the transaction had already taken place, Rowe said. Jennings called the Elizabeth Police Department, which was able to locate the suspect’s car and follow it to yet another CVS in Union.

Elizabeth police stopped the car, with both Patels inside, and by that time, Jennings and Leonia Capt. Scott Tamagny were able to arrive at the store in Union to take them into custody, Rowe said.

Jennings and Tamagny got consent to search the Patels’ car, Rowe said, and found numerous receipts for MoneyGram transactions throughout the state, along with $9,140 in U.S. currency.

The chief said Nikita Patel told Jennings they had more money and information at their residence in Iselin, and Jennings subsequently seized $10,822 from her apartment.

When Jennings asked how the pair had picked their victims, the suspects told him they had obtained information from people working in call centers in India, Rowe said.

The Patels were each held on $150,000 bail at the Bergen County Jail, charged with conspiracy to commit theft by deception, a second-degree crime.

So far, Rowe said, about $150,000 has been seized form six bank accounts in the names of the suspects.

“Because of Detective Jennings’ hard work and perseverance, many victims will be able to recover the money they lost in this case,” Rowe said. “In some cases,” he added, “the victims lost their life savings.”

Rowe said he did not yet know the total amount of money the Patels were able to talk their victims into sending them, but “we do know it is more than we seized.”

Email: [email protected]

[tom bhayya]

youtube lo video untundhi india nundi entha arrogant ga em peekalevu annattu matlaadu scam chesey fellow

[dotnetrockz]

youtube lo video untundhi india nundi entha arrogant ga em peekalevu annattu matlaadu scam chesey fellow

nakendhuko idhi pedda n/w laga anipisthundhi..like ikkada tax consulatnts ee extra money kosam anavasaramianav annii petti returns vachaka ila evariki aithe ekkubva returns vachyo valla details telsu kabbti vallani reverse balckmailing anukunta(using people in india)

[tom bhayya]

nakendhuko idhi pedda n/w laga anipisthundhi..like ikkada tax consulatnts ee extra money kosam anavasaramianav annii petti returns vachaka ila evariki aithe ekkubva returns vachyo valla details telsu kabbti vallani reverse balckmailing anukunta(using people in india)

no vaadu ala cheyadu ley its his livelihood kadha

[alpachinao]

nakendhuko idhi pedda n/w laga anipisthundhi..like ikkada tax consulatnts ee extra money kosam anavasaramianav annii petti returns vachaka ila evariki aithe ekkubva returns vachyo valla details telsu kabbti vallani reverse balckmailing anukunta(using people in india)

Yes you right people who reach to desi consultant in private not in any registered company they are leaking details...

[alpachinao]

no vaadu ala cheyadu ley its his livelihood kadha

No baa chesthar andukey kada unkonwn consultant degara cheyonchukokudadu
Ma friend ki friend ki friend ani pothar

[andhravodu]

endo desi galla daggara ati dengite manam complaint icchi vadilestam, tellodu oka security camera feed thecchi icchadu inka poom puhar aa. mottaniki chatram lo irukkunnaru, inka patels iddaru pataals lo padinatte

[andhravodu]

edi emaina, mana vallu mainstream lo adugu pettaru ante, ilana. monna evado telugodu kohls cards scam ippudu patels, choodabote inka enni bayataku vastayo

[rikki]

which video?

youtube lo video untundhi india nundi entha arrogant ga em peekalevu annattu matlaadu scam chesey fellow

 

[arshad]

:police:

[Silver_mani]

good work detective jennings 

[arshad]

good work detective jennings