Migrant Impersonating Officer Tries to Drain Woman's Bank Account

Residents of a town in New York were warned on Tuesday of a recent scam in which a man, identified as a migrant, tried to empty a woman's bank account by impersonating a "federal reserve agent."

Police in Gates—a town located near Rochester—said officers responded on March 28 to a call from an unnamed resident who reported she was the victim of a scam that began with an email claiming her Netflix password was expiring. The fraudulent email alert reportedly led to a phone conversation in which the resident was instructed to transfer money from her bank to an account through a "federal reserve agent."

The resident was then informed that a "federal reserve agent" would arrive in a Kia automobile at her house to pick up the money. However, Gates police were able to arrive on the scene, where they observed the Kia and a man exit the vehicle.

The man identified as 29-year-old Harpreet Singh was "taken into custody without incident."

Newsweek has reached out to Gates Police Department via email for comment.

Continuing their investigation, Gates police said they learned Singh was arrested by U.S Border Patrol in November of 2023 after illegally crossing into the United States through the Arizona border. However, Singh had reportedly been allowed to stay in the U.S. pending his immigration hearing scheduled for March 2025.

Singh was charged by the Gates Police Department for third-degree attempted grand larceny and impersonating an officer to commit a felony. The Gates Police Department later reported that Singh had been taken into custody by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE).

Singh's arrest comes as immigration remains a major political issue ahead of the 2024 presidential elections with the country experiencing heightened levels of migrant border crossings. There were more than 2.4 million encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border during the 2023 fiscal year, up from roughly 1.7 million in 2021, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.

Republican lawmakers say the uptick in migrants is a direct result of President Joe Biden's border policies, which, they argue, incentivizes illegal immigration. Other experts have said various factors, including political and financial instability in some Central American countries, drive migration to the U.S.

Singh's alleged crime follows other scams that have made headlines, including one that saw a woman in Ohio lose her retirement savings.

Lori English, who lives in Ohio's Licking County, told NBC affiliate WCMH in a story that aired on Monday that half a million dollars was stolen from her after she received a phone call from a scammer who misled her into thinking she needed to pay up or risk jail time.

The scammer who called English in March 2023 showed up as the Social Security Administration on her phone's caller identification. English said she was also seemingly transferred between federal agencies all confirming her Social Security number had been linked to drug trafficking and money laundering.

Steve Weisman, a white-collar crime lawyer and professor at Bentley University, told Newsweek for a previous story that imposter scams are one of the top fraud categories and happen frequently when criminals pose as companies or government agencies.

Typically, victims are told they need to send a wired payment, gift card or credit card information immediately.

The Gates Police Department reiterated this message by warning its residents of such scams and urged them to watch for suspicious communications.

"Unfortunately, these scams occur all too often where individuals believe they are receiving an official email, call or text. The victims are then led to believe they are getting a service such as updating computer virus software, installing computer programs or that a subscription has expired," Gates Police said in a statement. "The scammers are sometimes able to access bank accounting information and personal data. We urge you to be careful when receiving these emails, phone calls and even texts."