Santa Barbara County sheriff’s deputies arrested two men on Tuesday who are accused of trying to scam an elderly Santa Barbara woman out of thousands of dollars.  

Khushal Singh, 21, of Tracy and Guprakash Singh, 21, of Sacramento were arrested and charged with multiple felony violations, including false impersonation, attempted grand theft, attempted financial elder abuse and conspiracy to commit a crime.

Bail was set at $50,000 for each man.

Deputies arrested the men after receiving a call from a woman claiming she had withdrawn $25,000 in cash and handed it to a courier she believed to be a deputy U.S. marshal, according to a press release from the Sheriff’s Office.

The woman said she paid the men $25,000 on Monday evening, but one of the suspects contacted her the next day to demand an additional $25,000.

The Sheriff’s Office said the victim was told by the suspects that her Social Security number and other identifying information had been compromised.

She was instructed by the men to hand over a financial payment under the implication that not paying would lead to adverse consequences, according to the press release.

The Sheriff’s Office reminded residents that government agencies will not request payment in cash, gift cards or cryptocurrency. Government agencies also do not send couriers to pick up payments.

Residents should also be wary of suspicious calls that ask for personal information or urgent financial transactions. Anyone who receives these kinds of calls should hang up immediately and contact law enforcement.

The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office is also warning residents about a new banking scam where people call residents to instruct them to download banking apps to their phones.

The suspects direct the victims to install a banking app on their phone and transfer their savings to a new account to protect it.

The DA’s Office warns residents to be wary of calls where they are directed to download bank apps, especially if it is a bank they do not use. Residents should also avoid calls instructing them to transfer money to protect it or transfer money to an ATM.

“Legitimate banks and government agencies will never ask you to access accounts for someone else, deposit cash into an account that is not yours, or move your money to protect it. Once cash is deposited, it can be quickly transferred out, making it extremely difficult to recover,” said Amber Frost, spokeswoman for the District Attorney’s Office.

How to Protect Yourself

• Do not download apps at the direction of someone you do not know and trust.
• Never deposit cash or transfer funds for someone else.
• Do not share banking information, verification codes or login credentials.
• If you are unsure, pause and verify directly with your financial institution using a trusted phone number.

If you believe you have been targeted or have questions about this or other scams, contact the Scam Hotline at 805.568.2442.