COLUMBUS, Wis. (WFRV) – Two men accused of scamming a Columbia County resident out of a substantial amount of money were arrested following an undercover operation last week.
According to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, a family member contacted authorities on April 1, 2026, reporting that their parent in the Town of Columbus had fallen victim to a fraud scheme and had already lost a significant amount of money. Deputies were also told the suspects were actively attempting to collect more.
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A detective learned the victim may have inadvertently accessed malware on a cellphone, leading to a sophisticated scam. Investigators say the victim was told there were fraudulent charges on an account and was directed to call her bank using the legitimate phone number. However, scammers instructed her to enter a specific sequence of numbers, which rerouted the call to another scammer posing as a bank employee.
Authorities say the victim was later told she had accessed child pornography and could resolve the issue by paying money. She delivered a large amount of cash to a courier before bank staff recognized the scam and alerted law enforcement.
As scammers attempted to collect additional money through another courier drop, deputies organized an operation in the City of Columbus. Around 6 p.m. on April 2, investigators delivered what couriers believed to be more cash while under surveillance.
After the package was picked up, a felony traffic stop was conducted at the intersection of Dix Street and West James Street. Both suspects were taken into custody without incident.
A subsequent search warrant executed at a Columbus hotel room tied to the suspects uncovered evidence suggesting additional victims in multiple states.
The suspects were identified as Simranjeet Singh, 22, and Vaibhav Sharma, 23, both of Bakersfield, California. The sheriff’s office said it received information indicating both men are in the United States illegally from India.
Singh and Sharma were booked into the Columbia County Jail on charges of attempted theft by false representation as a party to a crime, with an elder person as the victim.
Sheriff Roger Brandner warned residents that scammers are often persuasive and can overwhelm victims with false claims.
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“Be skeptical of unsolicited phone calls, text messages, emails, and other communications,” Brandner said. “When in doubt, contact the supposed sender directly to confirm the legitimacy of the information.”
The investigation remains ongoing.
