On September 17, 2025, the Sacramento Police Department in California arrested 36-year-old Yuba City, California resident Balwinder Singh for serving as a money mule for a Social Security scam against Sacramento resident Rhane Thomas, who was conned out of over $28,000.
An opener, in Thomas’ case “Peter W. Guss,” will answer the call under the guise of a representative from PayPal and remain in contact with the victim over the phone and through WhatsApp.
The opener will then falsely claim 22 additional PayPal accounts were registered under their identity before transferring the call to a coworker posing as an agent with the United States Federal Trade Commission and falsely claim their identity was used for money laundering and illegal purchases.
The victim will be asked to withdraw money from their bank account(s), take pictures of the cash and receipts, wrap the money in a cardboard box and hand it off to a designated courier or money mule.
The money mule will drive to the victims’ doorstep in a white Toyota, use the victim’s favorite color as a password, and pick up the package whilst posing as a financial officer with the United States Social Security Administration.
I am hoping that the current admin starts applying longer prison sentences and it is just fine with me it they (criminals like this one) don’t survive their time locked up.
This is local to me. I saw it on the news and was going to post it. Yuba city has a high population of Indians – mainly Punjab & Sikh. They are such wonderful people, living a moral life, then this POS comes in and doesn’t give a crap about how it looks for their country of origin. I wonder if the woman got any money back? Do you know if that can happen when there is an arrest made?
Yeah I feel so badly for the great Indian people that live under the stain of these creeps. The Indian government’s lack of regard for this is causing possible irreparable harm to its peoples. It’s so sad
The Indian government, and the Indian legal system encourages this behavior, sadly.
Not to mention that the vast majority of police in India are paid off, not just to look the other way, but to protect them.
He’s undoubtedly is NOT the only one of that ethnic population just google scammer arrests in the United States. They showed cash hopefully she did get her money back but no doubt he scammed others so uncertain whose money. Sort of like a drunk driver. They get caught drinking and driving and charged the first time but that almost undoubtedly is not their first time drinking and driving either. I guess they would divide it if more than one victim I would guess. Especially horrendous when they take the life savings of someone or that scammed person dies the punishment should be life in prison with no possibility of parole or the death penalty for the scammer.
