PORTAGE, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – A 23-year-old man from India is charged with larceny by false pretenses over $20,000, and using a computer to commit a crime for what Portage Public Safety calls an “elaborate fraud scheme.”
An 84-year-old Portage resident became the victim of the fraud after they got an unsolicited pop-up message on their computer, falsely saying the computer had a virus or malware and instructed them to call a phone number for help.
The victim was led to believe their computer had inappropriate material including pornography and could face potential legal consequences. They stayed in touch with the fraudster over several weeks and were convinced to send $28,000 in cash to an unknown courier to resolve the fake legal issues.
The suspect kept contacting the victim and demanding more money to resolve the same legal problem, and they became suspicious and called Portage Public Safety in mid-October.
Police then worked undercover to schedule another transaction of $28,000 and arrested Jay Chavda of India.
Chavda was arraigned on Tuesday October 20th and was given a $50,000 bond.
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