On April 27, 2026, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office in Illinois arrested 22-year-old Chicago resident Parth Patel for facilitating an Apple refund scam, where
- The scammers will call their victims under the false personation of an Apple employee, falsely claiming their victims’ account was compromised.
- The call would then be transferred to a coworker posing as an FBI agent, falsely claiming that the victim needed to pay $40,000 to get rid of the “hacker.”
- The money had to be withdrawn from the victims’ bank account and handed off to a designated courier, or money mule.
- Once the money is collected, the fake FBI agent will demand an additional $28,500 from the victim.
Patel was released from the Lee County Jail on April 28, 2026, but is due to appear in court on May 21.