FBI seeks victims of Disney impostor scams
The FBI is searching for victims after a serial fraudster admitted to authorities he scammed 22 people out of $340,000 by fooling members of a Pigeon Forge church into thinking he was a successful businessman who could make them big bucks.
Kanwar Sarabjit Singh, a citizen of India who was living legally in the U.S., gained the trust of a pastor and his congregation, then lied to them and took their money as part of a 2012 investment scheme, according to federal court records.
HE DIDN’T WORK FOR DISNEY
Singh told different people different stories. He would falsely claim he owned Disney Animation Studios, or that he was making an animated movie for Disney, or that he had a company in India that worked for Disney and CitiBank, or that he had a business in Tennessee that set up security cameras in hotel lobbies.
One part of his story stayed the same: A small investment, he insisted, could lead to great wealth.
Singh, who also went by the name Sandy, convinced his victims — including elderly church members — to repeatedly pay him thousands of dollars, records show. They paid in cash or with checks or through wire transfers, and they sometimes paid through the pastor, identified in court records as “Pastor Mike.” The pastor’s full name and the name of the church are not listed in the records.
Singh took steps to appease his victims. He faked letters with Disney and CitiBank logos that purported to show his ties to those companies. He signed written agreements promising to repay his investors. He even paid back some of them with a fraction of the money they initially gave to him.
Singh’s scheme is detailed in a plea agreement for a separate case in which he pleaded guilty to charges he defrauded people seeking to obtain U.S. visas.
HE DIDN’T WORK FOR DHS
From 2016 up until this year, Singh used Facebook to meet people from around the world. He tricked them into thinking he was an employee of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security who worked in the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, according to the plea agreement.
Singh created a fake photo ID purporting to show his involvement with DHS. He manipulated his caller ID to make it appear as if his phone calls were coming from DHS. He assured people he could get them visas if they sent him $3,000 or $4,000, along with passport photographs, copies of their passports and other information.
After receiving the money and the documents, Singh created and sent fake letters purporting to be from the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India. The letters told his victims they could come pick up their visas.
The FBI nabbed Singh after he sold five fake visas to an undercover agent in Virginia, according to court records. Singh was indicted and arrested in May of this year, and his trial took place in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.