Ocean County senior citizen duped into sending $50K to scammers

🖥️ An elderly Berkeley Township woman was allegedly tricked by scammers posing as Microsoft and Wells Fargo employees.

💰 The victim mailed a $50,000 cashier’s check and was later asked for another $30,000.

🚔 Police arrested a 24-year-old New York man who allegedly arrived to collect the additional cash.

BERKELEY — A New York State man has been and arrested and charged for trying to bilk an elderly Ocean County woman out of tens of thousands of dollars.

On August 14, officers from the Berkeley Township Police Department went to a home in the Holiday City section for a reported theft, according to their Facebook page.

The victim reported that earlier this month, she was on her computer when a Microsoft error message popped up on her screen with a phone number to contact.

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When she called the fake number, a woman claiming to be from Microsoft told the senior citizen that her bank accounts had been compromised, police said.

The bad actor then transferred the victim’s call to a man who pretended to be a Wells Fargo employee, who convinced the victim to mail a cashier’s check for $50,000.

Over the next several days, the elderly woman was tricked into believing that the people she was talking to every day were legitimate employees from Microsoft and Wells Fargo, police said.

Berkeley police uncover scam before another $30,000 is collected

Soon, the victim realized this was a scam, and called the Berkeley Township Police Department.

While officers were at her house investigating, the suspects called the woman again, requesting an additional $30,000. But instead of mailing the check, the suspects said they would send a “courier” over to pick up the money for safe keeping.

Suspect arrested waiting to collect cash from Ocean County victim

A man, identified as Gurdutt Singh, 24, of South Richmond, New York was arrested when he pulled up to the woman’s home in a Toyota Rav-4 in an attempt to collect the cash.

He was taken to police headquarters, and charged with conspiracy to commit third-degree theft by deception and conspiracy to commit third-degree money laundering.

He remains in the Ocean County Correctional Facility in accordance with bail reform.

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