The Hendersonville Police Department (HPD) said in a Monday press release that a man posing as a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) agent cheated an elderly Tennessee resident out of nearly $60,000.
According to the release:
On September 22, 2023, the Hendersonville Police Department began an investigation after receiving a report of a possible scam that occurred in the 200 block area of Sterling Rd. Police learned that the victim, an 82 year-old male, had responded to a text message and spoke with an individual claiming to be an agent with the Federal Trade Commission. This “agent” then convinced the victim to withdraw over $60,000 from his bank account. A short time later another suspect arrived at the victim’s home to pickup [sic] the cash. Using license plate reader technology, Hendersonville police quickly identified Mr. Piyushkumar Patel [47] of Nashville as a potential suspect. Hendersonville Police located Mr. Patel at his home and were able to recover $59,100 of the victim’s money.
The release said that Patel was arrested and transported to the Sumner County Jail, where he is being held on a $50,000 bond. He has been charged with Theft of Property over $60,000 and Financial Exploitation of the Elderly. He will appear in court on October 2.
In the release, HPD also reminded residents to look out for scams.
“The Hendersonville Police Dept. would also like to remind the public that no legitimate business or government agency will ever ask a person to send large amounts cash or require the purchase gift [of] cards for any reason, the release says. “HPD encourages anyone who encounters suspicious requests such as these to contact law enforcement and report the incident as soon as possible.”
The police department also asked anyone with information about the incident to contact them.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which releases an annual fraud report, 7,161 Tennesseans were victims of fraud in 2022, accounting for total losses of $113,713,897.
In the United States, Americans were defrauded of more than $10.2 billion in 2022.
On its website, the FTC has a list of recently reported scams:
- The scammer says you’ve won a sweepstakes or lottery but you must send money to collect.
- The scammer says your assets are frozen until you pay a fake debt, fine, or lien.
- The scammer says he’ll help you recover money you already lost in a scam.
- The scammer says she’s collecting back taxes or immigration fees.
- The scammer threatens to fine you, put you in prison, or take your property unless you pay.
- The scammer says they’re protecting you from being scammed.
- The scammer tells you to take money out of your bank account, tells you to wire money, get a gift card, or buy cryptocurrency.
- The scammer demands secrecy, tells you to act right away, and says you’re about to lose money.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on X / Twitter.
