AUBURN, NY — Two men from New Jersey were arrested in Auburn after allegedly attempting to steal $300,000 in a scam that preyed on a victim’s fear of federal prosecution, according to New York State Police.
On April 29, Shabeer Ahmad, 58, and Mohammad Zaid Zahi Modan, 21, were taken into custody in the Wegmans parking lot while trying to collect a package they believed contained gold. The package was part of a sting operation set up by authorities after the suspects tried to continue defrauding a victim they had previously scammed.
The case began March 11 when the victim reported falling for a fake Microsoft pop-up alert on her computer. Upon calling the number provided, she was transferred between imposters posing as tech support, bank officials, and a federal agent. The scammers convinced her she was under investigation for identity theft and would go to prison if she didn’t comply.
They coerced her into withdrawing money and delivering it to a contact in a public lot. As the suspects continued to demand more money, investigators from the SP Auburn Bureau of Criminal Investigation stepped in. Using controlled calls, police set up a second meeting—this time with a decoy package containing fake gold.
Ahmad and Modan were both arrested without incident and charged with attempted grand larceny in the second degree, a Class C felony. They were processed at SP Auburn and taken to Cayuga County Jail for arraignment.
The Auburn Police Department and Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the ongoing investigation.
