Georgia pair allegedly claiming to be with FTC accused of scamming Wayne County woman out of over $80K

MONTICELLO, Ky. (FOX 56) — A man and woman from Dalton, Georgia, were arrested on Wednesday as part of an ongoing scam investigation by the Monticello Police Department.

Monticello police wrote on Facebook that around 5:20 p.m. on Wednesday, Amit Patel, 37, and Dishaben Patel, 28, were stopped in a 2021 Honda van at the intersection of Castle and Elk Streets.

Court documents show that on March 17, MPD officers were dispatched to 43 Highland Avenue for reports of fraud.

A woman reportedly told law enforcement that on March 12, her computer froze, and a message popped up on the monitor with instructions to call a phone number. The woman told investigators she called the number and spoke to a man and woman who allegedly claimed to be with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and told her the computer had been hacked.

The victim was told all her personal information had been compromised, and to get it back, she would have to give the pair money, an arrest citation reads.

The victim told police that on March 14, she cashed a closed deposit at a bank for $52,000, sending a photo of the bank deposit slip to the “FTC agents,” who then allegedly directed her to place the cash in a shoebox outside her home.

A uniform citation shows that a vehicle allegedly driven by a man came to her home to pick up the shoebox, and she was directed to drop it in the back of the vehicle.

An MPD report alleges that the victim carried out this process again around 9:15 a.m. on March 17, placing $32,000 in a shoebox and dropping it off in the same vehicle. She was allegedly told that another payment of $50,000 was set for Wednesday, March 19.

On Wednesday, the victim had dropped the sealed shoebox off in the back of the same vehicle for a third time. When it drove away, Monticello officers carried out a traffic stop and allegedly found Amit and Dishaben Patel inside along with the shoebox, per court documents.

Amit and Dishaben Patel were both charged with:

• Engaging in organized crime
• Theft by deception including cold checks of $10,000 or more – conspiracy
• Knowingly exploiting an adult out of more than $300

Amit and Dishaben were both lodged in the Wayne County Detention Center. The scam investigation remains ongoing.