ST. LOUIS – Five individuals have been caught in a massive tech support scam that bilked millions from elderly victims across ten states, authorities revealed.
Dariona Lambert, 23, Zhamoniq Stevens, 24, Chintankumar Parekh, 52, Mehulkumar Darji, 42, and Sital Singh, 43, all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in the past month. The conspirators, who originated from overseas, contacted elderly victims via phone and email, falsely claiming their financial accounts were compromised.
The scammers directed their victims to transfer funds into newly opened accounts or purchase gold bars and coins to secure their savings. Lambert and Stevens admitted to being couriers for the scheme, while Parekh, Singh, and Darji served as ‘handlers’ who collected the stolen goods and paid the couriers in cash.
The government estimates that the scammers netted $9.3 million from victims, including an 82-year-old St. Louis woman who was told to buy $250,000 worth of gold bars. Lambert flew from Florida to pick up the gold, only to be intercepted by law enforcement.
Parekh and Darji are in the U.S. unlawfully; Parekh overstayed his work visa, while Darji was previously removed from the country. All five defendants face up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine for their crimes.
The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations in Tampa, Florida, investigated this case, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwen Carroll leading the prosecution. The public is urged to report cyber scams to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov or by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI.
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Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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