PERRYSBURG, NY — Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s deputies arrested two men June 5 after they allegedly attempted to collect cash from a victim as part of a phone scam.
Ketankumar Vaghela, 31, and Narendrasinh Chavda, 38, were taken into custody when they arrived to collect money from a victim who had been contacted by scammers claiming to be Federal Trade Commission investigators.
The victim had been coerced to withdraw a large sum of money from their bank account and deliver it to the scammers, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
In the scam, the victim was accused of engaging in potential criminal activity and threatened with arrest, with the scammers offering a way out of the charges by having the victim make an in-person cash delivery.
The Sheriff’s Office was alerted to the scam and staged deputies at the location where the money was to be delivered.
The investigation revealed that both suspects are undocumented immigrants in the United States illegally, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Evidence indicates both have been involved in numerous scams of this nature over some time, according to authorities.
Vaghela and Chavda were charged with grand larceny in the second degree and scheme to defraud in the second degree.
They were arraigned in Perrysburg Town Court, where they were released under supervision and turned over to federal immigration authorities.
The investigation is ongoing.
