A 20-year-old Ukrainian national, Tyhran Shvets, has been arrested in San Bernardino County for attempting to scam an elderly woman out of $30,000 using a phone impersonation scheme.
On May 6, an elderly woman from Loma Linda received a call from someone claiming to be an inspector general with the sheriff’s department. The caller falsely informed her that she was facing arrest due to an active warrant and needed to withdraw $30,000 to avoid being taken into custody. She complied and withdrew the funds, expecting further instructions the next day.
Fortunately, the woman grew suspicious and contacted law enforcement. San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department detectives launched an investigation, ultimately identifying Shvets as the suspect.
Authorities discovered that Shvets had also scammed several other elderly women, successfully extracting money from multiple victims using similar tactics.
He was arrested and faces charges including attempted theft by false pretenses, conspiracy, and elder abuse.
