West Hartford Resident Lost Nearly $600K In Elaborate Computer Scam: Police

WEST HARTFORD, CT — A New York man has been arrested in connection with an elaborate scam that cost an elderly West Hartford resident nearly $600,000 after perpetrators allegedly impersonated Apple Support and a local police officer, authorities said Friday.

Vishavjit Singh, 26, of Queens, N.Y., was charged with first-degree larceny and interfering with an officer following a months-long investigation, according to the West Hartford Police Department on Friday.

The investigation began March 28, 2025, when police received a complaint from an elderly resident who reported losing close to $600,000.

Police said the scheme began when an error message appeared on the victim's laptop claiming the computer had been hacked.

The victim then received a telephone call from a woman claiming to represent Apple Support.

According to police, the caller told the resident her laptop had been hacked and that she was under investigation for criminal activity.

When the resident became skeptical, the scammers allegedly told her that a West Hartford police officer would call to verify that the allegations were legitimate.

The victim subsequently received a call that appeared to originate from the West Hartford Police Department's non-emergency telephone number, police said.

Authorities said the number had been spoofed and that the person on the other end falsely identified himself as a West Hartford police officer.

Over the following several months, the resident continued speaking with the scammers by telephone, according to police.

Authorities said the victim was instructed on several occasions to place large amounts of U.S. currency into boxes and wait for vehicle couriers to collect them.

Following what West Hartford police described as a lengthy investigation, authorities identified Singh as a suspect.

The investigation involved West Hartford police, the U.S. Secret Service, the Hartford Police/FBI Financial Crimes Task Force and the New York Police Department.

Police obtained an extraditable arrest warrant charging Singh with first-degree larceny and interfering with an officer.

On Thursday, Aug. 13, West Hartford detectives, assisted by inspectors from the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice, took custody of Singh at Sussex Correctional Institution in Georgetown, Delaware, according to police.

He was extradited to Connecticut and held on a court-set $200,000 cash or surety bond pending his scheduled arraignment Friday, Aug. 14, in Hartford Superior Court.