A 24-year-old Indian national has been sentenced by a US court to 51 months in jail for defrauding an elderly American woman of USD 150,000 through a computer-hacking scheme, a US attorney said.
The defendant, Sukhdev Vaid of Haryana, pleaded guilty in December 2023 to wire fraud. He defrauded the woman through an international computer-hacking scheme that targeted elderly Americans nationwide and resulted in more than USD 1.2 million in total losses, US Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
The court ordered on Wednesday that upon release from custody, Vaid would be remanded to the Bureau of Customs and Immigration Enforcement for deportation and ordered Vaid to pay USD 1,236,470 restitution. 바카라It has become all too common for people outside of our country to victimise Montanans, especially as it relates to wire fraud, and get away with it. But not this time. Vaid is going to federal prison due to the sophistication and tenacity of the FBI, for which I am grateful,바카라 Laslovich said.
"바카라Phantom Hacker바카라 scams layer imposter tech support, financial, and government personas to gain access to someone바카라s computer and personal information. Sadly, these scams are increasingly targeting our seniors. Adding to the depravity of this particular case is that the scammer travelled overseas to collect the victim's money in person,바카라 said Special Agent in Charge Shohini Sinha of the Salt Lake City FBI.
Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino said it is a reminder to all citizens that these scams occur frequently and can be devastating. 바카라I urge everyone to exercise caution; do not allow strangers access to your computer, bank accounts, or personal information,바카라 he said.
In a statement to the court, the Montana victim said, 바카라I feel very violated바카라I have crawled into a shell emotionally and don바카라t want to be vulnerable in any way. I don바카라t know who I can safely trust now. I don바카라t feel safe at all.바카라
A victim from outside Montana wrote to the court, 바카라I바카라m driving a 2007 car, and this loss has prevented me from affording a new car. The cost of living keeps going up, which doesn바카라t help when on a fixed income. I바카라m not sure I will ever have peace of mind again and trust others. This has cost me more than any monetary loss.바카라
The government alleged in court documents that a large enterprise originating from India was involved in stealing USD 1,236,470 from elderly Americans. The Montana case arose in February 2023, when Glacier Bank notified the FBI that Jane Doe, a 73-year-old woman in Kalispell, had been defrauded.
After learning of the scam, the FBI set up a ruse in which Jane Doe told the fraudsters she still had USD50,000 in cash. The FBI arrested Vaid, along with his co-defendant, Eddly Joseph, of Gainesville, Florida, when they travelled to Montana to collect the money.
The investigation determined that the fraudsters remotely accessed Jane Doe바카라s computer, using UltraViewer, which they installed on her computer. Joseph was sentenced previously to two years and nine months in prison for his conviction in the case, a media release said.
