An Indian citizen living in Massachusetts on a student visa has been busted in a scam that drained tens of thousands of dollars from a Newport senior — and nearly cost him hundreds of thousands more, federal officials said.
Samyag Uday Doshi, 25, a native of India residing in Dorchester, was ordered held after appearing in federal court on Nov. 17. He’s charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud for allegedly acting as a cash “courier” in a cross-state scheme targeting Rhode Island seniors.
According to prosecutors, the scam kicked off when the Newport victim got a voicemail about a bogus purchase. When he called back, he was connected to scammers impersonating federal agents who claimed he was under investigation for money laundering and other crimes — and that they could “help” him if he followed their instructions.
Over the next three weeks, the frightened senior was allegedly pushed to withdraw tens of thousands in cash, mail money out of state, and hand off envelopes to in-person couriers across Rhode Island. Investigators say the scammers even directed him to inquire about buying hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of gold bars.
The con spiraled toward a $385,000 attempted loss — but stopped just in time.
On Nov. 17, when the scammers allegedly demanded another $45,000, the victim contacted law enforcement. Officers surveilled the planned handoff and watched as Doshi — the alleged pick-up man — arrived at the meet spot.
He was arrested immediately.
Doshi, who entered the U.S. from India on a student visa, will remain detained as federal investigators continue to probe the wider scheme targeting Rhode Island’s elderly.
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