(Image source from: Times of India)
An Indian citizen has pleaded guilty to operating a fraud scheme by falsely representing as an employee of the United States immigration service in which he used social media platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp to swindle people seeking to obtain American visas.
Kanwar Sarabjit Singh, 51, a lawful permanent resident, used Facebook and WhatsApp to falsely represent himself as an employee of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) who worked in the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service and who could obtain genuine U.S. visas in exchange for a fee of USD 3,000 to USD 4,000, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia said in a statement.
Singh pleaded guilty to wire fraud and impersonation of a federal officer and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years of imprisonment when sentenced on December 14.
As part of his scheme, Singh created a fake photo identification document pretending to be from the DHS, which he mailed to others in an effort to show that he was capable to obtain U.S. immigration documents.
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Singh instructed individuals seeking immigration documents to e-mail him passport photographs, copies of their passports and other personally identifying information and to send him money through overnight delivery service or by wire transfer.
After receiving these documents and the requested fee up front, Singh created and mailed fake letters purporting to be from the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi which falsely represented that there was an appointment to pick up the requested visa documents. Many of Singh's victims resided overseas and were impoverished.
In addition to this visa fraud scheme, Singh also admitted to engaging in an investment fraud scheme in Tennessee in 2012 in which he defrauded approximately 22 investors of approximately USD 340,000.
Singh gained the reliance of a local pastor and his church, including elderly members, and falsely represented to them that he owned a small company in India that rendered labor for services, including to two large, data entry, international companies and that for a small, up-front investment, they would see a sizable return on their money.
Federal authorities said those defrauded by Singh should contact the Federal Bureau Investigation's Washington Field Office.
By Sowmya Sangam
