Prince George’s County Police have arrested two men in separate tech scam incidents that defrauded victims of a combined total of nearly $740,000 in cash and gold.
In the first case, 25-year-old Parmveer Parmveer of Grove City, Ohio, was taken into custody by the Financial Crimes Unit. According to police, the scheme began with a deceptive pop-up alert on the victim’s computer, instructing them to contact Apple security. Once the victims made the call, they were connected to scammers posing as Apple security agents and a supposed Federal Trade Commission representative.
Investigators said the scammers convinced victims their assets were at risk, prompting them to withdraw large sums of cash and deposit it into a Bitcoin ATM. The victims were also persuaded to purchase gold from a local dealer, which was then collected from their residence. Parmveer was arrested when he arrived to retrieve one such gold pickup. Authorities report the total loss in this case was approximately $700,000.
In a separate incident, 47-year-old Gyoung Lee of Flushing, New York, was arrested for a similar scam that also began with a fraudulent pop-up. This time, the alert urged the victim to contact Microsoft’s tech support.
The victim was reportedly deceived by scammers pretending to be Microsoft agents and even a representative from the U.S. Treasury Department. As a result, the victim withdrew $40,000 in cash, which was then handed over to a courier. Police apprehended Lee when he came to collect the money.
Officials are urging the public to stay vigilant and not to hand over money, gold, gift cards, or other valuables to individuals claiming to represent trusted companies or government agencies. If you suspect a security issue with your device, they advise contacting the software provider or your bank directly.
