Urvishkumar Vipulkumar Patel, 21, apparently thought he’d found a lucrative side hustle: collecting packages for cash. Unfortunately for him, those packages weren’t filled with delicious takeout or the latest online shopping haul. Instead, they contained hundreds of thousands of dollars from a 75-year-old man who had fallen victim to an elaborate scam.
It all started with a pesky pop-up message on the victim’s computer, leading him to a supposed “federal agent” named “Sam Wilson.” This “agent” convinced the elderly man that he was caught up in a money laundering scheme involving Russian real estate (because who hasn’t accidentally bought a dacha in their spare time?).
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To “safeguard” his money, the victim was instructed to withdraw his life savings in cash installments and hand them over to a series of couriers.
Enter Patel, who allegedly played the role of the unsuspecting delivery guy, collecting boxes of cash from the victim’s curbside like he was picking up a pizza. Little did he know, his last “delivery” would be to an undercover officer, leading to his arrest.
Patel now faces charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which could land him in prison for up to 20 years. It seems this side hustle didn’t quite deliver the payday he was hoping for.
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This case serves as a reminder to be wary of those “too good to be true” scenarios, especially when they involve mysterious pop-ups, “federal agents,” and large sums of cash. And if you’re considering a career change to package delivery, maybe stick to Amazon Prime.
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