Wall Police Arrest Jersey City Suspect In $100K Scam

WALL, NJ — Police said they have now arrested the suspect in a May 5 email scam in which a Wall woman was told to deposit nearly $100,000 into an account.

Wall Detective Zach Honecker, who conducted the fraud investigation, on Tuesday, Dec. 19, arrested Shiva Penmetsa, 31, Jersey City, for second-degree theft by deception, police said.

Penmetsa was processed and lodged in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution, Freehold, police said Wednesday. He was named as a suspect by police on Dec. 12.

The theft started with an email scam, according to police.

The woman, 81, received an email from a man later identified as Penmetsa, thanking her for a $400 payment for a supposed subscription, police said.

Since the woman did not pay for a subscription, she called the phone number associated with the email.

Then the victim allowed the suspect to gain electronic access to her computer and manipulated the computer screen to show the victim was refunded $40,000 for the subscription "by accident," police said.

The suspect instructed the woman to write two cashiers checks, one for $39,600.00 and one for $60,000, police said. The victim then deposited the checks into a Bank of America account on May 8, police said.

The victim's money is in the process of being recovered, police said Wednesday.

The Wall Police Department urges the public to contact the police if there is any concern about the authenticity of an e-mail, phone call or other form of communication.