Two New Jersey men were arrested in Auburn after allegedly attempting to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars in a scam that exploited a victim’s fear of federal prosecution, New York State Police said.
On April 29, Shabeer Ahmad, 58, and Mohammad Zaid Zahi Modan, 21, were taken into custody in the Wegmans parking lot while attempting to retrieve a package they believed contained $300,000 in gold. Police say the package was part of a sting operation set up after the suspects repeatedly contacted a victim they had previously scammed.
The case began on March 11, when the victim reported being tricked by a fake pop-up message on her computer, appearing to be from Microsoft. After calling the number listed, she was transferred between individuals posing as tech support, bank representatives, and a federal agent. The scammers convinced her that she was under investigation for identity theft and faced prison unless she complied.
The victim was then instructed to withdraw and deliver money to an individual in a public parking lot. When the suspects tried to extort more money through continued contact, investigators from the SP Auburn Bureau of Criminal Investigation intervened, using controlled calls to set up a second exchange.
Ahmad and Modan were each charged with attempted grand larceny in the second degree, a class C felony. Both were processed without incident at SP Auburn and transported to the Cayuga County Jail for arraignment.
The investigation remains ongoing. State Police were assisted by the Auburn Police Department and the Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office.
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