A WOMAN has been scammed out of $126,000 of her life savings after a thief tricked her into believing he was an undercover agent.
Sagar Patel, aged 27, was convicted and sentenced recently for his role in persuading an elderly woman in Colorado to exchange her money for gold bars and then surrender them to him.
Charlotte Noble, 80, was told to call a mysterious number after a pop-up message told her she had a computer virus in July 2023.
The number led her to Patel, who said her bank accounts were compromised.
Patel promised he was an undercover federal agent who could help, prosecutors said.
The crook persuaded Noble to convert the money into two gold bars, each worth $63,000, and give them to him.
Luckily, Noble made a smart move during the exchange that later helped cops identify the thief.
Even as she handed the gold bars to Patel, who was posing as an undercover agent, Noble took notes about his car, as reported by CBS affiliate KKTV.
Subsequently, she provided details of the vehicle, including its description and license plate number, to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office in Castle Rock, Colorado, located approximately 30 miles south of Denver.
Investigators said Noble’s decision provided “vital information” that cops used to track down Patel.
Using her notes, cops found the car was a rental tied to Patel. They then gathered his information from credit card and phone companies.
Detectives used location data from Noble’s phone and the car to put Patel at the scene of the theft, DCSO said in a press release.
“Surveillance footage further confirmed Patel’s involvement, showing him at the vehicle rental counter at Denver International Airport, a marijuana dispensary in Littleton, and at other key locations,” cops said.
Cops arrested Patel on February 1, 2024, in Jersey City, New Jersey.
He was convicted of criminal felony.
On Friday, he was slapped with the maximum sentence of six years in prison.
Bank tips for avoiding scams
As scams become more sophisticated with the use of artificial intelligence, it is important you know how to spot a scam:
- Be skeptical of online deals that seem too good to be true, especially on social media.
- Scammers will often use tactics to make you panicked so you make quick decisions – be cautious if you are told to take immediate action and verify who has contacted you.
- Chase Bank warns customers to “never return any unexpected funds without calling Chase first.”
- Never send money to someone you have only spoken to online or by phone as this is likely a romance scam.
- Unless you 100% know who you are talking to, never give someone remote access to your device.
- Never accept help from strangers at an ATM and always be vigilant when making withdrawals.
- Do not send money or click any links indicating that you have won a prize.
Source: Chase.com
He was ordered to pay almost $144,000 in restitution.
Noble’s son, William Wilcox, spoke about the decision at Friday’s sentencing.
“While no sentence can undo what happened to my mother, this conviction brings a small sense of justice and closure for the family,” he said.
During his sentencing hearing, Patel apologized to the court.
“I wish I had [the] power to go back and fix that thing. I cannot,” he said, according to ABC affiliate KMGH.
Patel, an undocumented immigrant from India, is also under investigation for similar crimes in Delaware and New York, the DA’s office said.
A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer was placed on him, which means he’ll likely face deportation.
Deputy District Attorney Joe Ratner said during the hearing that Noble was robbed of her life savings.
“If you come to Douglas County to scam senior citizens out of gold bars, you can expect to be behind prison bars,” Ratner said.
