48°
Hirtik Hemchand Khatri, 24, of Lawrence Township, New Jersey, allegedly orchestrated a high-stakes fraud that convinced the victim to empty his savings, fearing he’d be arrested if he didn’t comply, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan and Whitehall Township Police Chief Michael Marks said.
Khatri, who twice showed up at the victim’s home in a Mercedes-Benz to collect hundreds of thousands of dollars in gold, was arrested on Wednesday, Feb. 26 in New Jersey and is awaiting extradition to Pennsylvania. He is charged with multiple felonies, including theft by deception, theft by extortion, and criminal use of a communication facility.
The Setup: An Email That Cost Nearly $700K
It all started with a simple email.
On Jan. 8, the victim received a message claiming a $499.99 charge had been made to his PayPal account. When he called the listed number to dispute it, he was told PayPal had accidentally refunded $49,999—money he was now responsible for returning.
Panicked, the victim withdrew $50,000 in cash, converted it into Bitcoin, and deposited it into a cryptocurrency kiosk at a local gas station.
That was only the beginning.
Days later, the scammer—going by the name "David Wilson"—claimed another PayPal mistake had resulted in a refund of $350,000 instead of $350. The victim was ordered to withdraw $40,000 in cash, deposit it in Bitcoin, and buy $300,000 in gold.
To make the fraud seem legitimate, the scammer gave the victim a special password to use when turning over the gold.
The Heist: Gold Bars Hand-Delivered To A Scammer In A Benz
On Jan. 22, the victim liquidated his IRA, purchasing 108 gold bars for nearly $300,000.
Khatri, posing as a PayPal employee, drove to the victim’s home in a Mercedes-Benz and personally collected the gold.
A few days later, the scammer called again, claiming yet another "error" had occurred. The victim—still believing he was dealing with a legitimate PayPal issue—purchased another $298,867 in gold on Jan. 28.
On Jan. 30, Khatri returned to the victim’s home to pick up the second gold haul, bringing the total value of stolen gold to $596,407.
By Feb. 3, the victim realized he’d been conned when he tried to contact the "PayPal representative"—only to find the number disconnected.
The Bust: A License Plate And A Photo Lineup
Whitehall Township Police launched an investigation, tracking Khatri’s Mercedes-Benz through license plate readers. The victim later picked him out of a police photo lineup.
With help from Homeland Security, Lawrence Township Police, and the Lehigh County Elder Abuse Task Force, Khatri was arrested in New Jersey. He is expected to be extradited to Pennsylvania, where he faces prosecution.
A Warning To The Public
Scams like this—especially those targeting elderly victims through cryptocurrency, wire transfers, and precious metals—are on the rise, official said.
"Anyone who requests or demands large amounts of money, especially in untraceable methods like cryptocurrency, precious metals, gift cards, or cash, is almost certainly part of a scam," authorities said.
Anyone who believes they’ve been targeted can contact their local police department or the Lehigh County Elder Abuse Task Force at 610-782-3700.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Readington Township and receive free news updates.
