South Boston man charged as courier in computer-popup scheme that took an elderly man for $420,000

A South Boston man was arrested this week on a federal wire-fraud conspiracy charge for his alleged role in a scam ring that took a 75-year-old North Adams man for $420,000 after he responded to a popup message that his computer was frozen.

According to an affidavit by an FBI agent on the case, Urvishkumar Vipulkumar Patel, 21, acted as one of several couriers for an as yet uncharged ring leader in the scheme - the one unlucky enough to be sent out to collect a payment when the FBI closed in.

The affidavit details how the victim was snared:

In or around June 2024, Victim 1 received a pop-up message on his computer claiming that his computer was frozen. The message contained a phone number, which Victim 1 believed to be associated with Microsoft, for Victim 1 to call for assistance.

Victim 1 called the number listed on the pop-up and spoke with an individual who claimed to be trying to fix the problem. That individual then told Victim 1 that he could not fix the problem and had to transfer him to someone else.

Victim 1 was transferred to an individual who called himself Sam WILSON. WILSON told Victim 1 that he was a federal agent with the U.S. Treasury Department. WILSON told Victim 1 that he would take a look at the issue with Victim 1's computer. WILSON then purported to confirm Victim 1's name and address; when Victim 1 stated that was not the correct address, WILSON provided additional addresses until Victim 1 identified his correct address.

WILSON then told Victim 1 that based on Victim 1's confirming his name and address, WILSON could see that Victim 1's name and address was listed as being involved in a money laundering scheme. WILSON told Victim 1 that the "Treasury" showed that a number of houses had been purchased in Victim 1's name in both the United States and Russia.

WILSON told Victim 1 that he was going to help him get out of this trouble. He told Victim 1 that he would be talking to a judge, but that in the meantime, Victim 1 needed to safeguard his money from being further implicated in the supposed money laundering scheme. Specifically, WILSON told Victim 1 that he should withdraw cash from his bank and send it to the Treasury Department to be kept in a lock box until Victim 1 could be cleared of the scheme. WILSON cautioned Victim 1 that his bank would not let Victim 1 withdraw all of his money at once, so he should withdraw smaller amounts and send it to WILSON at Treasury in installments.

Victim 1 then began to withdraw the contents of his bank accounts and send the money to WILSON as directed. Specifically, from in or around June 2024 through in or around September 2024, Victim 1 provided money to several individuals he believed to be associated with WILSON on approximately five separate occasions.

Before each pickup, "Wilson" asked the victim how much he could take out from his bank and, after he did so, instructed him "to place the cash in a box, tape the box, and to write his name and address on the box." He would then go outside and hand it to a courier, who would provide the PIN "Wilson" and the victim had agreed to beforehand.

Over three months, the victim gave a total of $420,000 in cash to the couriers, the affidavit continues.

On Oct. 1, the victim's sister, realizing this was nuts, contacted the FBI, who spoke to the victim, convinced him he was being scammed and got him to make one final call to "Wilson," to claim he had another $33,000 to hand over. They arranged a pickup on Monday, around 12:30 p.m. An FBI agent walked up to a car waiting outside the victim's house, with a box containing counterfeit bills.

The undercover, posing as Victim 1, asked PATEL if this payment would finally clear Victim 1, and PATEL answered yes.

The undercover agent then placed the box into PATEL's vehicle and PATEL quickly drove away.

Agents conducted a traffic stop of PATEL. PATEL was driving a rental car, which in my training and experience is a common tactic used by individuals who are trying to avoid detection. He had an active WhatsApp call on his cell phone at the time he was pulled over.

After providing him his Miranda warnings, PATEL initially told agents that he was being blackmailed to collect the packages. He later said he had been collecting packages for weeks at the direction of another. He stated that he was paid for collecting the packages. Specifically, he told agents that he would be given an address and a description of an individual who was to bring out a package. He also was given a PIN passcode to provide to the individual. He was given a meet location to drive to after obtaining the package. At the meet location, PATEL either provided the package to a person who paid him his cut or he left the package in a drop box and drove to another address to receive his payment.

PATEL told agents that he opened the first package he received and saw that it contained cash. He stated that he believed his activity was not lawful but continued to collect packages.

Patel was held without bail until a hearing in Springfield federal court yesterday, after which a judge released him on personal recognizance, on conditions he not leave Massachusetts while his case is pending and that he tell members of his family he's now facing a fraud conspiracy charge, according to court records.

Innocent, etc.