LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The Mesquite Police Department arrested a man after he allegedly nearly defrauded $45,000 from an elderly Nevada woman, according to police.
On Sept. 7 Mesquite police responded to a “disturbing case” of fraud after the elderly victim reported receiving a phone call from someone claiming to be a representative from her bank and that her account had been compromised.
The victim was transferred between multiple callers with the scammers claiming to be from the Federal Trade Commission, the Better Business Bureau, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The suspected instructed the victim to withdraw as much money as possible from her bank accounts and over two separate transactions she withdrew a total of $45,000 in cash. The suspects then told her that an undercover U.S. Marshal would meet her at a local business to retrieve the cash in a locked box and to complete the handoff, she was given a specific password to use, police said.
Mesquite police were alerted about the situation and responded to the location where they saw a man slowly driving around the parking lot. Police stopped him for further investigation and he was arrested in connection to the incident.
The man arrested was 32-year-old Mihirkumar Amin, of Anaheim, CA who faces charges of felony exploitation of an elderly person and felony conspiracy to commit grand larceny.
When police searched Amin’s vehicle they found nearly $100,000 worth of gold and silver, which was seized under the suspicion of being connected to a separate fraud case, according to police.
Police said the investigation is still ongoing and further charges are pending for all suspects involved.
The Mesquite Police Department wants to remind the public to remain vigilant and to report any
suspicious activity, especially scams targeting vulnerable individuals.
“This arrest is a critical reminder of the growing sophistication of scammers, and the lengths they are willing to go to scam you out of your hard-earned money. I commend the quick actions of
our officers in preventing harm to the victim,” Chief Chesley said.
