Two Arrested in South Reno Fraud Case Targeting Elderly Victims

Two men are in jail for a fraud scheme in south Reno that scammed victims out of nearly $50,000.

On Monday, deputies with the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office responded to a fraud report in which victims claimed they lost $49,300. According to a statement from the Sheriff’s Office, the suspects carried out their scheme by impersonating representatives from Amazon’s fraud department and an officer with the Federal Trade Commission. Even after the initial theft, the scammers continued to pressure the victims for additional payments.

A joint investigation involving Washoe County Patrol Deputies, Washoe County Property Detectives, the Northern Nevada Regional Intelligence Center, and the Human Exploitation and Recovery Operations Unit led to the arrest of the suspects when they arrived in Northern Nevada to collect more money.

On Wednesday, authorities arrested Mohjid Singh and Habri Harmal in connection with the case. They were charged with multiple felonies, including theft of $3,500 or more from an elderly victim, exploiting an older or vulnerable person for $5,000 or greater, and two counts of conspiracy to abuse and exploit or isolate an older or vulnerable person.

The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office is investigating whether the two suspects were involved in similar fraud cases in Northern Nevada.