He was eventually transferred to a person claiming to be a Federal Trade Commission officer.
The FTC website says its officers will not demand money, tell people to transfer money, promise a prize or make threats.
“If someone says they’re from the FTC and demands money, they’re a scammer,” the website says. “Don’t pay them or give them any personal information.”
The scammer claimed there were 32 bank accounts and 17 credit card accounts linked to the man’s Social Security number and he was under investigation for owning rental properties tied to drug activity in multiple states as well as possible money laundering linking him to $400,000 in illegal transfers to Iran and China, according to a federal complaint.
“(The scammer) presented (the man) with three options: (a) cooperate with the FTC which would endanger (the man) and his family, (b) fight the charges in federal court, or (c) work with (the scammer) to segregate the clean money from the illicit money by making deposits into U.S. government-controlled accounts,” court records stated.
A few days later, the man was told he needed to “legalize” his money by transferring all the funds from his personal accounts to government accounts, according to investigators.
The man got a cashier’s check for approximately $150,000 from his money market account and drove to a Bank of America in Middletown to deposit it in an account the scammer provided, according to court records.
From Nov. 30 to Dec. 7, 2023, the scammer told the man to move $30,000 from two of his accounts to his Wright-Patt Credit Union account, a complaint read. A few days later the man was told to withdraw a total of $40,000 in cash from three of his accounts.
“Once the money was withdrawn, (the scammer) instructed (the man) to place the $40,000 in a box, put white paper over the top, seal the box, wrap it in white paper and write ‘The Court’ on the outside,” according to court records. “(The man) stated he also wrote his return address in the corner. (The scammer) requested (the man) to provide him with pictures of every step of (him) packaging the money.”
The same night, a “logistics” team in a white SUV stopped outside the man’s house, the complaint stated. The scammer called the man and reportedly told him to put the box with the $40,000 inside the vehicle.
The scammer contacted the man again on Dec. 21, 2023, and told him to withdraw an additional $40,000 in cash and package the money the same way, according to court documents.
Another alleged logistics team was scheduled to pick the cash up that night, but it was postponed after the man’s family made an unexpected visit.
The next day they made plans to pick up the cash at a Discount Drug Mart in Springfield. The man put the box with the $40,000 inside in the back seat of an SUV as instructed by the scammer, according to investigators.
On Jan. 5, law enforcement informed the man he was the victim of a scam. He blocked all numbers related to the scammer but unblocked them later that month after agreeing to help a U.S. Secret Service task force officer set up a sting.
The man asked the scammer if his account was settled and the scammer said it was not and they needed another $80,000 in cash, according to court records.
The man said he only had $60,000 left in the account and the scammer told him to withdraw and package it the same way as the previous deposits.
An agent escorted the man to multiple banks to withdraw $60,000 from multiple bank branches. They took pictures of receipts showing the withdrawals and account balances before depositing the money back in the man’s account.
They sent the staged photos to the scammer and used $60,000 in counterfeit money previously seized by the U.S. Secret Service to place in a decoy box, according to the complaint.
On Feb. 7, the scammer reportedly told the man a logistics team was nearby and to stand outside his home with the $60,000.
A special agent went outside with the decoy box and placed it into the front passenger seat of a Dodge Challenger that pulled up to the curb. The Challenger drove away and was pulled over by Fairborn police.
The driver, Pratik B. Patel, said he is from India and came to the U.S. with his wife and child in August, according to court records.
Patel claimed his Visa was set to expire on Feb. 17 and he had been trying to get enough money for his family to fly back to India.
Patel was reportedly told by a person called Jeck to pick up the money.
“According to Patel, Jeck always provided the pickup addresses and required him to video the collected money,” the complaint read. “Once the pickup was completed and after a thorough count, Patel was then instructed to place the money, or in some instances gold, into a backpack and directed to a given parking lot where he would meet another unknown individual.”
Patel reportedly believed Jeck works with two or three others in India and that a person in Dubai is directing them.
Patel said he completed seven pickups for Jeck and was paid $500 to $1,500 for each, according to investigators.
In addition to Fairborn, Patel allegedly completed three pickups in Illinois, two in Michigan and one in Cincinnati. He received approximately $146,000 and multiple gold bars from the six victims, the complaint stated.
He claimed to have traveled to Philadelphia; Houston; Dallas; Phoenix; Los Angeles; San Franscico; Vienna, Virginia; Minnesota; and Maryland for attempted pickups, but the victims reportedly canceled.
After his first pickup, Patel reportedly learned his actions were illegal, but he continued working with Jeck because he needed money.
Patel was charged with wire fraud, attempted conspiracy and bank fraud, according to federal court records.
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