Attempted elder fraud in Washington County; suspect arrested
Washington County Sheriff's Office
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Wis. - A 24-year-old California man was arrested on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in connection with attempted fraud against an elderly woman in the Village of Richfield.
Attempted fraud
What we know:
According to the Washington County Sheriff's Office, the investigation began the day before when the victim got an email claiming to be from a computer tech support service. The email said she would be charged a subscription fee, so she clicked the link to cancel the subscription.
Ultimately, the suspects were able to gain access to her bank account and made it appear as if they had accidentally refunded a large sum of money into her account. She then got a phone call from someone saying that she could either return the money by transferring it into Bitcoin or have the cash picked up by the courier.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android
Fond du Lac County jury duty phone scam, sheriff's office issues warning
The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office wants the public to be aware of a jury duty scam, as it has received several reports from people on April 4 and 5, 2025, about the scam.
She became suspicious and contacted the sheriff’s office.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office goes on to say that investigators started communicating with the suspect and helped coordinate a money pickup at the victim’s house on April 9.
The suspect had told the victim to package up $26,500 and have it ready to walk out onto the street when the courier arrived. The suspect arrived for the pickup and was taken into custody without incident.
The suspect
What we know:
The sheriff's office says the suspect is an Indian national who is currently living in California and is in the United States seeking asylum. He told investigators that he had been flown to Chicago from California the night before and was given instructions to go to the victim’s house and bring her to the bank to get money.
Investigators believe that upon arrival, the suspect was going to take the money and then try and get the victim to go to her bank with him and withdraw the rest.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
The suspect confessed to doing similar pickups outside of Wisconsin. His airfare, rental car, and accommodations are covered as he travels the country, and he claims that he has been awaiting payment for his work. The suspect told investigators that his orders came from relatives back in India.
Washington County Sheriff’s Investigators are working closely with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) as the investigation continues.
The suspect is in custody at the Washington County Jail on an ICE detainer and pending charges.
The Source: The Washington County Sheriff's Office posted the information on its Facebook page.