A New York man is facing charges in Massachusetts for allegedly participating in a scheme that defrauded a 72-year-old Newton woman of nearly half a million dollars.
Alleged Scam Involved Fake Government Agents
The Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office announced that 23-year-old Vishal Kumar of Queens has been arraigned on charges of extortion, larceny over $250 from a person over 60, and conspiracy.
Prosecutors say the scam began on December 4 when the victim received a call from someone posing as a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent. The caller falsely claimed she was responsible for $2 million spread across 22 fraudulent accounts in her name, allegedly used in illegal drug transactions.
“When the victim denied opening these accounts, the caller insisted that to prevent identity theft, she needed to transfer all her assets to the U.S. Treasury, promising she would receive Treasury checks in return,” the DA’s office stated.
Threats and Deception Led to Financial Loss
The scammers intensified their pressure, warning the woman that she faced imminent arrest by the FBI if she failed to cooperate. A second caller, pretending to be her U.S. Treasury case manager, instructed her to convert her money into gold bars and hand them over to designated couriers at specific times and locations. She was also falsely told that after the transfers, her Social Security number would be changed.
Following these instructions, the victim liquidated funds from her retirement account, purchasing gold bars and wiring money to a bank account. Authorities estimate her total loss exceeded $480,000.
The scammers sent her images of Treasury checks as proof of security for her gold, but investigators later confirmed they were counterfeit.
Undercover Operation Leads to Arrest
After the victim’s family discovered the scam, they reported it to law enforcement, leading to a sting operation. An undercover officer, posing as the victim, coordinated a package delivery to the suspect. Kumar was arrested after confirming a code word given to the victim and taking possession of the package.
“This elaborate scheme followed a familiar pattern used by financial scammers,” said Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan. “They created multiple points of contact to build trust, impersonated government agents, assigned a ‘case worker’ to appear legitimate, and even produced fake documents as receipts. Additionally, they used fear tactics, threatening criminal prosecution to pressure the victim into making massive financial payments.”
A grand jury indicted Kumar on February 26. After his arraignment, he was held on $500,000 cash bail. His next court appearance is scheduled for April 2. It remains unclear if he has legal representation.
