Following an investigation that began in 2025, a New York man who scammed an elderly West Hartford resident out of nearly $600,000, has been extradited and charged.

By Ronni Newton

A 26-year-old Queens, New York, man has been identified as the suspect in scamming an elderly West Hartford resident out of nearly $600,000, and is now in custody following a lengthy investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies.

Lt. Ryan Riley said Friday that West Hartford Police were first notified of the scam on March 28, 2025. The victim told police that she had first received an error message indicating her laptop had been hacked, and then a phone call from a woman, who claimed she was from Apple Support, who told the woman her laptop had been hacked, and also told her that she was being investigated for “criminal activity.”

According to Riley, the victim said she was skeptical but the scammer told her that they would have a West Hartford Police officer call her to confirm the legitimacy of the allegations. The victim indeed received a call – but it was from a “spoofed” number that appeared to be the West Hartford Police Department’s non-emergency number, and she spoke with someone who identified themselves as a West Hartford Police officer.

According to Riley, “After several months of the victim speaking with the scammers via telephone, the victim was instructed on several occasions to put large amounts of U.S. currency in a box and wait for a car courier to pick up the boxes of currency.”

The West Hartford Police Department investigation of the scamming incident was conducted in collaboration with the U.S. Secret Service, Hartford Police/FBI Financial Crimes Taskforce, and the New York Police Department. The investigation led to a suspect, identified as Vishavjit Singh, 26, of Queens, New York.

Police obtained an extraditable arrest warrant and on Aug. 13 took Singh into custody at the Sussex Correctional Institute in Georgetown, Delaware, and extradited him back to Connecticut to face charges of first-degree larceny and interfering with an officer.

He was arraigned Friday and remains in custody on a court-set bond of $200,000. According to online court records, his next appearance is scheduled for Sept. 25.

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