Two New Jersey brothers, Abhishek Barvalia, 31, and Tushar Barvalia, 32, are charged with grand larceny and conspiracy for allegedly scamming four senior women out of nearly $400,000. Victims ranged from 76 to 90 years old and lived in Brooklyn, Staten Island, Queens, and Connecticut. Schemes often began with computer pop-ups or phone calls, with perpetrators impersonating bank representatives, government agents, Microsoft, or the Federal Trade Commission. Specific losses include $15,000 wired in June 2023, $70,000 sent via cashier's checks in July, and $136,224 taken in December 2023. Both men pleaded not guilty at arraignment.
The Brooklyn District Attorney's Office says two New Jersey brothers scammed four senior women out of nearly $400,000, through schemes that often began with pop-ups on the seniors' computers. Authorities said Monday the two men pretended to be government agents or bank representatives, telling the women - who ranged in age from 76 to 90 years old - that their bank accounts were compromised and they needed to withdraw all of their money immediately.
Early in July 2023, a 78-year-old woman received a notification on her computer claiming it was infected with malware, and urging her to call a number that purported to be for Microsoft, the DA's office said. The woman was transferred to someone pretending to be a representative from the Federal Trade Commission, warning her that she should send her savings to the federal government for safekeeping, the DA's office said. She sent the men $70,000 via two cashier's checks, prosecutors said.
Collection
[
|
...
]