A 21-year-old man from Evanston, Illinois, Anas M. Vohra, is in La Crosse County Jail following allegations that he participated in a scheme to defraud an elderly La Crosse man of $86,000.
Vohra was charged in La Crosse County Circuit Court with felony counts of theft by false representation and money laundering.
According to the criminal complaint, the victim was using his computer on September 9, 2024, when several tabs opened automatically. Upon clicking, he was prompted to contact Microsoft Support. The victim called the number and spoke to a man identifying himself as Jason, a fraud investigator from U.S. Bank.
Following Jason’s instructions, the victim purchased $6,000 worth of gift cards from Menards, scratched off the codes, and relayed them over the phone. The next day, the victim received another call demanding $30,000 to unfreeze his checking account. He withdrew the money and handed it to a man in a dark-colored sedan.
Subsequently, the victim was convinced to withdraw an additional $50,000 in cash to fix supposed account issues. Each time, he gave the money to men waiting in vehicles. Jason assured that the funds would be deposited into a new checking account under the victim’s name.
Surveillance footage helped police identify the vehicles involved, leading to Vohra’s arrest on March 24 by Department of Homeland Security agents. Vohra reportedly admitted to the crime.
The complaint also connects Vohra to a similar scam in Tomah, where a victim lost $21,000. Vohra denies involvement in the Tomah incident.
Judge Ramona Gonzalez has set Vohra’s bail at $50,000 cash.