Community
Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous. The call is not recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
Arrest of phone scam suspect
| Nature of Incident: | Arrest of phone scam suspect | |||||
| Report Number: | 23-129150 | |||||
| Location: | 2400 Block of Thousand Oaks Blvd, Thousand Oaks | |||||
| Date & Time: | 9/28/2023 @ 11:00 AM | |||||
| Unit(s) Responsible: | East County Investigations Fraud/Forgery Unit | |||||
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| (S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent |
City of Residence |
Age | ||||
| (V) Adult Male (S) Kevin Ahir |
Thousand Oaks Calabasas |
81 30 |
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| Narrative: | ||||||
| On 10/7/2023, Thousand Oaks Patrol Deputies received a report of an elderly resident of Thousand Oaks who suffered a significant financial loss through a phone scam. This phone scam had similarities to an overall increasing trend of scam phone calls. In these scams, suspects call or text victims and pretend to be with a trusted company or government entity. The scammers will make the victims believe they are required to pay large sums of money over the phone for various reasons. One of the common reasons includes scammers convincing the victims they are involved in a criminal investigation and must pay bail over the phone. After learning of the incident, the East County Investigations Fraud/Forgery Unit launched an investigation into the matter. Through an extensive investigation, detectives were able to learn the identity of some of the involved scammers. Detectives were also able to associate the suspects from this scam with a similar case that occurred in another state. On 01/03/2024, detectives obtained and served a residential search warrant at a residence in Calabasas where additional evidence was located. Detectives arrested one of the suspects involved in the scam, (S) Kevin Ahir. Ahir was arrested for PC 532(a) - Felony theft by false pretenses, PC 182(a)(1) - Felony conspiracy to commit a crime, and PC 368(d) - Felony theft from an elder or dependent adult. Detectives believe Ahir did not work alone in the scam and are actively pursuing the other involved suspect(s). Ahir is currently in custody at the Ventura County Main Jail with his bail set at $200,000.00. Ahir is scheduled for arraignment on 01/05/2024. The East County Investigations Fraud/Forgery Unit would like to remind the public that law enforcement agencies WILL NOT ask citizens to pay for bills, fines, bail or warrants over the phone. If you receive a suspected scam call, we recommend citizens HANG UP, block the number (if possible), and do not send the scammers any money. If you are unsure or concerned you may be involved in a scam; you can contact the Thousand Oaks Police Department at 805-494-8200. If you are a victim of a scam, please contact the Sheriff’s Dispatch non-emergency number at 805-654-9511 to make a report. The East County Investigations Fraud/Forgery Unit continues to combat scams by giving presentations to our community in the city of Thousand Oaks while also aggressively pursuing the scammers themselves. |
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| Prepared by: | Detective K. Walters | |||||
| News Release Date: | 01/04/2024 | |||||
| Media Follow-Up Contact: | Detective K. Walters Phone number: (805) 494-8232 E-mail: [email protected] |
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| Approved by: |
Captain Kevin Lynch |
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Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous. The call is not recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
Address/Location
Ventura County Sheriff's Office
800 S Victoria Ave
Ventura, CA 93003
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 805-654-9511