The legal system is taking action against a man charged with victimizing a Sheboygan person through the so-called “Phantom Hacker Scam”. Acting US Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, Richard Frohling, announced on Tuesday that a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging 41-year-old Ankurkumar Patel of Brookfield with one count of money laundering conspiracy, and one count of substantive money laundering in violation of US Law.
The scam Patel is charged with executing primarily targets elderly victims when a participant, often located overseas, poses as a customer service agent at a company or government agency. The person either contacts the victim, or induces the victim to contact a purported agent who falsely claims that their identity or bank account has been hacked or compromised. The victim is directed to move their funds to a third-party or so-called government account for safe keeping, essentially draining the victim’s funds.
The indictment alleges that Patel personally retrieved over $1 million from victims in several states, including from a Sheboygan resident.
If convicted of either or both counts, Patel could face decades in prison and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines.
Comments