6 People Arrested In IRS Phone Scam, Middlesex Prosecutor Says

We've all heard about — or perhaps even received — those suspicious calls supposedly from the IRS, claiming we owe back taxes. But on Wednesday, the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office announced they arrested six people right here in New Jersey who are behind those calls. All of the suspects live in Jersey City, said Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew Carey.

The investigation started in South Plainfield earlier this month. Victims there were led to believe they owed money to the IRS and would be arrested if they did not make restitution, according to South Plainfield Police Chief James Parker. In some cases, victims were convinced that family members had been arrested and they needed money for lawyers’ fees or to post bond. Patch wrote about one of those exact incidents: A Hillsborough woman received a call from a man saying her sister was kidnapped and needed to send money. She didn't fall for it.

The callers told victims to send money via gift cards from retail stores like Walgreen's and CVS. The defendants then used the cards to make purchases.

South Plainfield police worked with the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, the Jersey City Police Department and even the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security got involved. Ronak Butani, 24, Jay Kakadiya, 24, Akashkumar Chovatiya, 23, Divyesh Patel, 23, Jagdishkumar Patel, 22, and Brijeshkumar Parmar, 26, all of Jersey City, were arrested and charged in the sting. In total, their telephone scam netted more than $120,000 from victims, police said.

They are being held on various charges, including counts of money laundering and conspiracy.

The investigation is active and is continuing. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Ryan Tighe or Detective Christopher Pennisi, both of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, at (732) 745-3300.