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The incident occurred in Sullivan County on Wednesday, May 1 in the village of Liberty.
According to Chief Steven D'Agata of the Liberty Police, the department received a call from a 76-year-old resident who said the money had been taken from her as part of an elaborate scam.
The woman told officers that what appeared to be a virus appeared on her computer. Shortly after she received a phone call from a man claiming to be from an anti-virus company and he would help her.
D'Agata said the man, identified as Himachal Sagar, age 43, of India, told her to withdraw money from her bank account so that it would not be hacked or stolen due to the virus.
The woman did as she was told and then gave the money to the man who came to her house for "safe-keeping."
The chief said the victim, who has not been identified, then called police when she became suspicious.
An investigation found that the man was part of a scam targeting seniors. With help from the Broome County Sheriff's Office and the New York State Police, they were able to identify Sagar within two hours.
He was located at a motel in Binghamton and detained until the arrival of Liberty Police officers.
D'Agata said officers were able to recover the entire $36,000 at a location in Binghamton. Sagar was transported to Liberty for processing and arraigned at the Town of Liberty Court.
He was charged with grand larceny, and due to state bail reform laws was released on his own recognizance and was ordered to surrender his passport, D'Agata said
Any individuals who believe they may have been the victim of a similar scam are asked to contact the Village of Liberty Police Department.
“ It is because of the hard work and rapid investigation by the officers and detectives that worked on this case that we were able to hold this offender accountable and recover the victim’s money," D'Agata said.
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