On May 11, 2026, the Coral Gables Police Department in Florida arrested 24-year-old Indian national Sumit Bahadur Pandey for facilitating “phantom hacker” scams against American nationals, where
- The scammers will call their victims with spoofed numbers under the false personation of federal agents, falsely claiming their victims’ financial accounts were compromised.
- In order to “federally protect” their assets, the victims were asked to withdraw money from their bank account, convert them into gold bars an d coins, and hand them off to a designated courier, or money mule.
- The mule will collect the gold in various CVS or Shake Shack parking lots whilst posing as an FTC agent by the name of “Lucas.”
- In one meeting, Pandey would collect roughly $180,000 in gold from his victim.
Pandey was arrested during a fraud investigation in Carroll County, Arkansas. He has since been charged with
- Grand theft
- Organized scheme to defraud
- Unlawful use of a two-way communication device
- Falsely impersonating an officer during the commission of a felony.
Pandey is currently being held in a Miami-Dade jail without bond and on an immigration hold, so I HOPE HE ENJOYS GAUTMO!