Elder Fraud in Delaware

This article is not about elder fraud, scams, or elder abuse. It is a newsletter from a Pennsylvania state representative discussing budget negotiations, school year wishes, labor unions, and community events. While it mentions an "Elder Fraud Prevention Seminar" scheduled for 9/23, this is merely a calendar listing, not substantive content about fraud or elder abuse. This does not meet the content criteria for the Elderus research database.

Arizona is projected to lose over $4 billion to financial fraud in 2024, with the state ranking 11th nationally in fraud rates at 1,459 cases per 100,000 residents, according to a Common Sense Institute report. Common fraud types affecting Arizonans include grandparent scams, romance scams, gift card scams, skimming, and forgery, with experts noting that only about 14% of fraud is reported to authorities. Researchers recommend that families help protect older adults—who are at higher risk due to lower technological familiarity—by teaching them to verify sources before sharing financial information online.

Two Delaware County seniors each lost approximately $9,000 in a phone scam where callers impersonated their adult children claiming to be in accidents, then posed as bail bondsmen demanding cash to prevent jail time. The scammers used rideshare services to send couriers to collect the money wrapped in shoeboxes, with funds ultimately transported to Newark, New Jersey and Reading, Pennsylvania. Police urge residents to hang up on such calls and contact authorities, noting that legitimate law enforcement never demands cash payment.

A nationwide health care fraud takedown resulted in 324 defendants charged across the United States for schemes involving over $14.6 billion in false billings and illegal drug diversion, with authorities seizing over $245 million in assets. Four defendants were charged in the Eastern District of Louisiana, including the co-owner of a diagnostic laboratory who allegedly defrauded Medicare of approximately $4.4 million through over $30 million in false genetic testing claims, and a physician who billed Medicare approximately $24 million for medically unnecessary genetic testing. These schemes targeted Medicare and programs serving elderly and disabled populations through kickback schemes and fraudulent billing practices.

An anesthesiology resident at Seattle Children's Hospital and UW Medical Center was criminally charged with diverting narcotic medications (fentanyl and hydromorphone) for personal use over at least a year, sometimes while working and treating patients; simultaneously, Pinnacle Health PC, a Seattle medical practice, settled a civil case for billing over $500,000 to federal programs for experimental, unapproved treatments. These cases were part of a nationwide 2025 healthcare fraud takedown involving 324 defendants charged with $14.6 billion in alleged false billings and illegal diversion of 15 million controlled substance pills.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced reinvigorated efforts to combat transnational elder fraud schemes costing billions of dollars, with recent prosecutions targeting romance fraud, lottery fraud, tech support fraud, and grandparent scams. Key cases include Troy Murray, who sold a database of over seven million elderly Americans' personal information to Jamaican lottery fraudsters and laundered $1.6 million in proceeds, and Dennis Anderson and Frank Angelori, who brokered lead lists to Jamaica-based scammers from 2015-2020. Individual victims lost significant sums, with one Arizona victim losing over $400,000 to a lottery fraud scheme.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced a reinvigorated effort to combat transnational elder fraud schemes that cost billions of dollars annually, with several recent prosecutions targeting romance fraud, lottery fraud, tech support fraud, and grandparent scams. Key cases included Troy Murray, who pleaded guilty to selling a database of over 7 million elderly Americans' personal information to Jamaican lottery scammers, and his son Cutter Murray, who pleaded guilty to money laundering $1.6 million in fraudulent proceeds; other defendants were charged for operating Jamaica-based lottery fraud schemes that defrauded seniors across the country, with one victim losing over $400,

A Delaware woman lost $701,529 in gold bars between August 2023 and February 2024 after scammers posing as federal agents claimed her identity had been stolen and she was under investigation; they told her the Treasury would safeguard gold bars she purchased to resolve the matter. When authorities caught the scheme, they arrested Rakeshkumar Patel, an Indian national illegally residing in New York, who pleaded guilty after attempting to collect an additional $300,000 in gold in May 2024. The scam was part of a larger fraud operation targeting older affluent adults across Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, with a combined loss of $2.1

A New York man pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud conspiracy charges for his role in a nationwide elder fraud scheme that defrauded victims of over $2.1 million between May 2023 and May 2024. The scheme involved posing as federal agents to convince elderly victims that their identities were compromised, then instructing them to liquidate savings and convert funds into cash or gold bars, which the conspirators collected in person. Rakeshkumar Patel, 36, was arrested near Millsboro, Delaware in May 2024 and faces more than five years in federal prison upon sentencing.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation warned motorists about a phishing scam where scammers send fake text messages and emails impersonating E-ZPass toll agencies, claiming recipients owe money and requesting payment through fraudulent links to steal personal and financial information. MnDOT emphasized that legitimate tolling agencies never request sensitive information via text or email, and advised recipients to verify any toll debt through official websites and contact customer service directly rather than clicking suspicious links.

A 36-year-old Flushing, New York man pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy for his role in an elder fraud scam that defrauded elderly victims of at least $2.15 million between May 2023 and May 2024. The scheme involved fraudsters posing as federal agents who convinced victims their identities had been compromised, then instructed them to liquidate life savings and convert funds to cash or gold bars, which couriers like the defendant collected from victims' homes. The defendant faces more than five years in federal prison at sentencing.

Rakeshkumar Patel, 36, from Flushing, New York, pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy for his role in a scheme that defrauded elderly Americans of over $2 million. The scam targeted senior citizens across multiple states, including Delaware, and resulted in federal charges accepted by U.S. District Judge Richard G. Andrews.

**Summary:** Rakeshkumar Patel, a 36-year-old Indian national living illegally in the U.S., pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy for his role in an elder fraud scheme that defrauded elderly victims of at least $2.15 million between May 2023 and May 2024. Patel and co-conspirators posed as federal agents over the phone, convincing victims their identities were compromised and their accounts under investigation, then instructed them to withdraw life savings and convert them to cash or gold bars, which Patel and other couriers collected in person. Patel faces more than five years in federal prison at sentencing.

Rakeshkumar Patel, 36, of Flushing, NY, pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy for his role in an elder fraud scheme that defrauded elderly victims nationwide of at least $2.15 million between May 2023 and May 2024. Patel and co-conspirators impersonated federal agents over the phone, falsely claiming victims' identities were compromised and involved in federal investigations, then convinced them to liquidate savings and transfer cash or gold to couriers posing as agents. Patel faces more than five years in federal prison upon sentencing.

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