Dutchess County Man Arrested After Allegedly Scamming Elderly Victim Out of $180,000

Dutchess County Man Scams Elderly Victim Out of $180,000

The Ulster Police Department recently shared details of an arrest back in July where a Dutchess County man scammed an elderly victim out of a substantial amount of money.

In the press release shared on August 12th, 2026, the Ulster Police Department explains that the Ulster Detective Division worked in conjunction with the Dutchess County Sheriff's Office to arrest Balwant Singh.

The 31-year-old, from Hopewell Junction, was arrested back on July 20th, 2026. The statement alleges that Singh "was suspected of scamming an elderly victim out of $180,000."

Singh posed as a PayPal representative that was "attempting to rectify a fraudulent transaction."

According to the statement Singh called the victim and "coerced the victim into using that money to buy gold, which he later retrieved from the elderly victim at a shopping mall in the Town of Ulster."

You can read the full statement and arrest details below:

Safety Tips to Keep You Safe from Scammers

Sadly, scams like the one mentioned above happen daily across the U.S. and here in the Hudson Valley.

Local law enforcement has shared reminders on social media on how to keep yourself and others in your life safe from potential scammers.

Elderly residents are often targeted by scammers by phone, through text and email. In May, a similar scam happened in Upstate New York, which ended up with Homeland Security Investigators involved.

READ MORE: Authorities Stop PayPal Scam Before Elderly NY Victim Loses $20K

Law Enforcement stresses to never share personal information over the phone to callers claiming to be from places like PayPal or local government offices.

Most organizations and businesses will never for ask for information like your Social Security number or bank information over the phone.

Learn more on the New York State DOS website. 

Scams Currently Making the Rounds Across the Hudson Valley

If you didn't know, this time of year in the Hudson Valley it's fair season!

One of the big scams currently around on social media involves the Dutchess County Fair.

The Dutchess County Fair let their guests know that scammers were claiming to have "extra tickets" online or saying their "plans changed" so they were selling their admission tickets and ride wristbands on Facebook in the comments, by direct message or on Facebook Marketplace.

READ MORE: Scammers Target Dutchess County Fair Ticket Buyers

Last year around this time, Back-to-School scams were making the rounds across the region.

Just in case that one decides to pop up again, here are a few safety tips.