D.C. police have made two arrests in connection with a big financial scam that cost an elderly woman an estimated $640,000.
D.C. police have made two arrests in connection with a big financial scam that cost an elderly woman an estimated $640,000.
Authorities told reporters Wednesday about the apparent scam and how it may be part of a larger effort to defraud area residents, especially seniors.
In February, an unidentified woman had a problem with her computer and police said it wasn’t a legitimate repair technician on the other end trying to repair the computer, it was two scam artists giving her instructions on how to get it repaired and trying to gain the woman’s confidence.
D.C. police Cmdr. Kevin Kentish, of the Criminal Investigations Division, explained what happened next: “A message advised the victim to contact a fictitious customer service number, which connected the victim to scammers.”
Kentish said the woman was strung along for months.
“In between February and June of this year, scammers instructed the victim to make multiple wire transfers and purchases of gold coins. In total, the victim was defrauded of over $640,000,” he said.
Police said as the scam went on, a merchant who was selling the woman the gold coins eventually became alarmed and notified police.
Two people from California — Amruth Vaka, 27, and Saloni Shaikh, 28 — were arrested and charged with first-degree fraud.
Assistant D.C. Police Chief Ramey Kyle said the scam might have gone on even longer, had they not gotten some assistance.
“In this case, the fraud was actually discovered, and our victim was alerted by a merchant that saw suspicious activity. Without that, she may have been defrauded out of thousands and thousands of more dollars,” he said.
The woman is cooperating and assisted police in luring the suspects to a location where the arrest was made on Monday. The pair were there allegedly to get more money from the woman.
Police are working to recover some of the woman’s money.
Authorities warn it’s not just older residents, but all folks who need to be extremely careful when it comes to dealing with computer and identity issues. And if you are not sure of the identity of someone you are dealing with, contact a family member, a trusted friend or the police before giving away any personal or financial information.
“Staying alert, verifying information, reporting suspicious activity can make a big difference,” Kyle said.
Kentish believes the two suspects may have been part of a nationwide criminal conspiracy, adding that the D.C. police would be collaborating with the FBI during the investigation.
“It may be linked to a larger network … up and down the East Coast and maybe across the country,” he said. “We do believe that there’s additional victims out there.”
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
