Imposter scam that targeted elderly lands man in federal prison
A man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison following his involvement in an imposter scam that robbed multiple elderly people of thousands in life savings all across the Midwest.
According to records filed in the U.S. Court for the Southern District of Illinois, Nirav Patel, born in India, entered the country illegally via Vancouver before meeting with others involved in the scheme in Georgia. They then came to Illinois.
“Patel’s fraud operation was based in Chicago, where he could get an Illinois driver’s license despite being in the U.S. unlawfully,” according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s office in East St. Louis. “From there, he drove hundreds of miles through Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana to take money and gold from elderly victims on behalf of the fraud scheme.”
In court, Patel claimed he “had no idea what was going on,” which the court rejected since “the scammers entrusted Patel with hundreds of thousands of dollars at a time,” court documents say.
Patel would pick up the money or gold bars after the scammers would berate elderly victims with phone calls about how they were having their identity stolen, sometimes calling up to 12 hours a day. The scammers often used threats of legal trouble if the victims told anyone about the calls since the scammers would pose as federal agents, according to the criminal complaint.
Once Patel had the money, instead of being put in federal safekeeping, it would be sent to accounts in India, where the scam was based.
A similar gold bar scam happened in Edwardsville last year, where an elderly woman lost $148,000 in gold coins. Those scammers told the woman that her PayPal account was compromised, and a Des Plaines resident named Ligneshkumar Patel picked up the money on behalf of the scammers.
Lauren Barry, Public Affairs Officer for the Southern Illinois United States Attorney’s Office, said despite the similarities, the two cases were completely separate.
The court’s press release said imposter scams are now the most common type of criminal scheme, as of March 2025. CNET’s Geoff Williams reported that in 2024, $219 million was stolen in gold bar schemes similar the one involving Patel, according to the FBI.
Those affected by such scams should call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-372-8311.
FBI Supervisory Special Agent Price McCarty said vigilance and having a trustworthy group to talk to is key to protecting yourself from scams.
“All scams depend on a lie being believed ... If you — as a potential victim — or the people you trust spot that lie, then you can be protected against a lot of scams,” McCarty said in a statement.
This story was originally published June 4, 2025 at 5:08 PM.