Des Plaines man sent to prison for scamming elderly people via phone

A Des Plaines man was sentenced Friday to three years in federal prison for stealing thousands of dollars from elderly people through phone scams, authorities said.

Hirenkumar P. Chaudhari, 29, impersonated workers from government agencies over the phone, telling people their identities had been stolen and persuading them to transfer money to various bank accounts, according to the U.S. attorney's office for the Northern District of Illinois.

One of the victims was a retired nurse from Massachusetts who transferred more than $900,000 from her bank and retirement accounts to accounts controlled by Chaudhari and others, the news release said.

Police learned the Chaudhari withdrew $6,500 from his bank the day after the retired nurse transferred him $7,000 and determined he knew the money was obtained illegally, according to the news release.

Chaudhari pleaded guilty last year to federal money laundering. In addition to his prison sentence, Chaudhari was ordered to pay $6,500 to the woman he scammed from Massachusetts, the news release said.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of elder fraud, you can file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission online at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov or call (877) FTC-HELP.