Washington, DC – Two suspects from California have been arrested and charged with first-degree fraud after allegedly scamming a DC resident out of more than $640,000 through a months-long scheme involving fake tech support, wire transfers, and purchases of gold bars and coins.
According to the Metropolitan Police Department, the scam began in February when the victim’s computer crashed and a pop-up message appeared urging her to call a phony customer service number. Believing it to be legitimate, the victim made contact and was unknowingly connected to scammers. Over the next several months, the suspects instructed her to carry out multiple wire transfers and purchase large amounts of gold.
By June, the victim had lost more than $640,000. MPD’s Financial Crimes Unit began investigating and worked for weeks to track the suspects. On August 5, detectives from MPD’s Financial Crimes Unit and the Violent Crime Suppression Division conducted a targeted operation to intercept what the suspects believed would be a $200,000 gold exchange.
During that operation, 27-year-old Amruth Vaka and 28-year-old Saloni Shaikh, both of Stockton, California, were taken into custody. Both have been charged with first-degree fraud.
MPD has released images of the suspects and is asking the public to come forward with any information. Detectives believe the pair may be involved in additional scams and are working with federal and regional law enforcement agencies to expand the investigation.
Anyone with information or who believes they were targeted in a similar scam is asked to call 202-727-9099.
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Key Points
- Two suspects from California arrested in $640,000 gold coin scam in DC
- The victim was manipulated through a fake pop-up and ongoing instructions from scammers
- MPD intercepted the suspects during a planned $200,000 gold handoff
