Indian Student Visa Holder Convicted of Gold Scam Targeting Elderly US Veteran

Venkateswara Chagamreddy, an Indian man living in Texas on a student visa, has been convicted of defrauding a 79-year-old Vietnam Veteran in Delaware County. In August 2025, the elderly man called a phone number that he believed was Microsoft support. He was told that criminal activities had been detected on his computer and he would be contacted by a federal officer to advice him further.

Another man called him posing as a federal officer and provided a false badge number. The fake federal officer told the victim that his identity had been stolen and provided to criminals, which resulted in him being "investigated," and that his identity was used to commit federal crimes. The victim was told that his money needed to be transferred to gold and submitted to the treasury department.

The victim complied and handed over a substantial amount of gold to a fake officer. When the victim was contacted again for more funds, he reached out to a family member who told him that he was being scammed and no government department would ask for gold from any individual. This time, Chagamreddy came to collect the package and was arrested.

Evidence presented to the jury showed that he had $500 in cash, a cell phone, and 23 ounces of gold in the vehicle. Investigators said Chagamreddy was working with another co-conspirator. He was the courier person as he used to travel across states to collect packages from the victims.

For example, when he was arrested, his messages proved that he was in touch with numerous elderly victims. He even flew from Austin to North Carolina where he picked up gold and then delivered it to a co-conspirator. On his trips, he used to provide status updates, location, fuel levels to the co-conspirator.

When he was arrested, Chagamreddy told the law enforcement that he was in the United States on a student visa and was at risk of deportation after being suspended from school. He said that he recently travelled out of state to enroll in a different college and that, upon his return, the gold was in his vehicle.