Man from India arrested in Dodge County scam attempt

TOWN OF LOWELL, WI — A man from India is arrested in a phone scam attempt in Dodge County. 18-year-old Laxit Devanra Patel is charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to commit theft by false representation. Those charges are in connection with a phone call made by a member of a criminal organization that falsely identified himself as a Federal Trade Commission agent to a 61-year-old Town of Lowell resident. The caller requested that the person contacted withdraw all of their money from the bank in cash due to a compromised Social Security number. The caller said a new social security number and bank accounts would be then open. Patel was sent by scammers based in Chicago to the home to $81,000 and was arrested Wednesday by undercover officers after the transaction took place. Patel is in custody on a $500-thousand cash bond.