CUMBERLAND COUNTY — A 29-year-old Ukranian man was arraigned Friday on charges that he ran a phone scam on a 90-year-old Newville woman in March.
Igor Matvoyka, a Ukranian and Hungarian citizen, was arrested by ICE agents at JFK Airport on July 31 when he returned to the United States from abroad. He was extradited to Pennsylvania for his arraignment.
According to police, Matvoyka scammed the victim, a resident of Green Ridge Village Retirement Community, on March 9. He allegedly called the woman and identified himself as her grandson, telling her he’d wrecked his rental car in North Carolina, was in police custody, and needed $2,000 for bail. Another man then took the phone, identified himself as a public defender, and told the victim to purchase a $2,000 gift card at Target and call back. The victim complied and gave the scammer the pertinent information off the card, police say.
After doing so, the victim became uneasy and called her grandson, who told her he was fine and was not in North Carolina. The victim called Newville Police to report the scam on March 12, police say.
Police worked with Target to identify the transactions that the card was used for. Police say the card was used to purchase high-end electronics in the state of Oregon. Using surveillance video, police were able to obtain pictures of a suspect, later identified as Matyovka, and the rental car he was driving.
ICE agents called to assist with the case determined that Matyovka had left the country a few days before Newville Police contacted them. They issued a felony warrant and an ICE detainer in hopes that Matyovka would return to the US.
When Matyovka did return to the country on July 31, he was arrested and detained at the airport. After his extradition, he was arraigned on charges of Theft by Deception and Receiving Stolen Property, police say.
