Photo: Stock Photo
As anyone with a phone knows, fraudulent scammers are relentless in their efforts to trick the gullible among us into surrendering financial and personal identification information that can lead to significant financial loss.
Case in point: the January 3rd arrest of 30-year-old Calabasas resident Kevin Ahir, which followed a year-long investigation into a case dating back to October 7, 2023 which involved an 81-year-old victim who unwittingly responded to a phone call that wound up costing him a large sum of money. According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Detective K. Walters, once the victim reported the issue to authorities, detectives attached to the VCSD East County Investigations Fraud/Forgery Unit “launched an investigation into the matter.”
During their year-long effort, detectives pinpointed Ahir as being involved in a multi-state fraud operation involving calls or texts to victims in which he portrayed himself as “a trusted company or government entity” requiring payment from the victim to avoid criminal prosecution.
On January 3rd, a search warrant was obtained and served upon Ahir’s residence, pursuant to which “evidence was located” connecting him to multiple crimes as well as additional out-of-state suspects. Ahir was taken into custody and transported to Ventura County Jail, where he was charged with felony theft by false pretenses, felony conspiracy, and felony theft from an elder or dependent adult. He remains in custody with his bail set at $200,000.
