JEFFERSON COUNTY, Fla. — A Florida man has been arrested for his alleged involvement in a sophisticated elder fraud scheme that defrauded an 81-year-old woman out of more than $580,000, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO).
Deputies arrested Dhrumil Bhatt on October 8 after investigators uncovered evidence linking him to a nationwide scam targeting elderly victims.
Authorities say the scheme began when Carolyn Hawkins, 81, received a call in July from someone claiming to be with Ameris Bank, who then transferred her to an individual posing as “Special Agent Andrew Ferguson” from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
The impersonator convinced Hawkins that her identity had been stolen and that she needed to help with an ongoing fraud investigation by converting her savings into gold coins for “safekeeping.” Over several weeks, Hawkins mailed a cashier’s check and made multiple withdrawals totaling $583,000, purchasing gold coins as instructed.
Scammers arranged for different couriers to collect the coins each time, pretending they were court-appointed agents. Investigators later intervened when another $65,000 pickup was planned at a Dollar General in Monticello, Florida.
When officers arrived, they located Bhatt, who matched the suspect’s vehicle description. He initially claimed he was only there to pick up a package but later admitted his flights and rental cars were paid for by others involved in the scam. His phone reportedly contained videos and photos of him collecting cash and gold from multiple elderly victims in Florida and Georgia.
Bhatt was arrested and booked into the Jefferson County Jail on charges of larceny, fraud, exploitation of the elderly, and use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony.
He pleaded not guilty on October 13. Investigators believe Bhatt is part of a larger criminal organization targeting elderly victims through identity-theft and government-impersonation scams.
