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Indian student accused of fake Microsoft support scam
The 27-year-old has been indicted by a federal grand jury for defrauding an elderly man.
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Jeffin T. Kaleekal - Thu, 20, Nov 2025
- 00:55 EST
- 16
Representative image / Pexels
A 27-year-old Indian student living in San Antonio, Texas, has been indicted for defrauding an elderly man in Delaware County.
Venkateswara Chagamreddy is charged with Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud; Conspiracy to Demand Money and Property While Falsely Impersonating a Federal Officer; and Conspiracy to Obstruct, Delay, and Affect Commerce by Extortion.
As per court records, the elderly man was duped into calling a number that he believed was Microsoft's customer support. He was then told that illegal activity was detected on his computer and that the information would be turned over to the federal government. The victim was then contacted by a man posing as a federal agent who told him that criminals had stolen his identity and used it to commit crimes and he was therefore under investigation.
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The call was then transferred to a fake Treasury Department officer who told the victim that his money needed to be transferred to gold and that an “officer” would pick it up the following day.
Days after the victim complied to this request, he received another call with the same demand. At this point. the elderly victim got suspicious and reached out to family members and then contacted the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office.
Chagamreddy allegedly arrived to pick up the Gold when deputies arrested him, while still on call with the victim. The officers allegedly found gold and marijuana in his car. However,Chagamreddy maintains that he recently travelled out of state to enroll in a different college and that, upon his return, the gold was in his vehicle.
Chagamreddy is in the United States on a student visa and is at risk of deportation after being suspended from school.
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