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Overcast Baldwin man scams people out of hundreds of thousands of dollars
Yash Shah, a 25 year old man from Baldwin, was arrested on Wednesday for scamming two people out of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of gold bars and cash in Huntington and Kings Park.
When a 72-year-old Huntington woman received a notice on her computer informing her that her computer had been compromised and she needed to contact Microsoft, she ended up contacting Shah. Shah, who was acting as the multinational technology corporation, told the woman that her computer contained child pornography and porn sites. After the woman conversed with Shah, she agreed to meet with him and gave him $35,000.
After some time, the woman believed she was being scammed and filed a police report. After receiving a search warrant on his phone, detectives identified that a 73-year-old Kings Park woman was scammed out of approximately $430,000, including $277,000 worth of gold bars on July 20. This woman, like the other woman in Huntington, was told she had child pornography on her computer.
Detectives contacted the woman, who was about to deliver an additional $260,000 to the scammers. Detectives believe Shah is working with other people.
Shah, 25, of 701 Prospect Street, Baldwin, was charged with second degree Grand Larceny and third degree Grand Larceny, as well as two counts of fifth degree Conspiracy.
Shah was held overnight at the Third Precinct and was arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on August 24.
Detectives are asking anyone who felt they might have been scammed to contact the Financial Crimes Unit at 631-852-6821.
