US Shuts Down India-Based Call Centre Scam That Targeted Elderly Americans

US authorities have shut down an India-based call centre operation accused of defrauding hundreds of elderly Americans of millions of dollars through tech support scams, following a years-long investigation that led to the conviction of five India-based telemarketing fraudsters and a former employee of a call-routing company linked to the scheme.

According to PTI, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Boston division said in a social media post on Wednesday that the probe had also resulted in the arrest and conviction of a former employee of the company used to route scam calls connected to the operation.

The FBI said the scam targeted hundreds of elderly victims in the US and abroad, causing losses worth millions of dollars. It added that two senior executives who operated a business enabling the operation had admitted to ignoring widespread fraud.

“This comes after an FBI Boston investigation that has resulted in the arrests & convictions of a former employee of their call routing company, and five India-based telemarketing fraudsters,” the agency said.

“American senior citizens deserve honour, respect, and protection, and those targeting them with fraudulent schemes will be brought to justice,” it added.

Reported PTI, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island identified the executives as Adam Young, 42, of Miami, and Harrison Gevirtz, 33, of Las Vegas. The two men admitted to operating a telecommunications services business that provided phone numbers, call routing, call tracking and forwarding services to customers they knew were involved in tech-support fraud schemes.

Young and Gevirtz pleaded guilty after an investigation launched in 2020 led to the conviction of five India-based telemarketing fraudsters and a former employee linked to the call-routing company.

The convicted Indian nationals were identified as Sahil Narang, Chirag Sachdeva, Abrar Anjum and Manish Kumar, all found guilty on charges connected to India-based telemarketing fraud schemes targeting Americans, many of them elderly or otherwise vulnerable, according to PTI.

The investigation also led to the conviction of Jagmeet Singh Virk in the US District Court for the Northern District of California.

Authorities said the India-based call centres used Young and Gevirtz’s business to route “tech fraud” calls and, in some instances, received advice on reducing complaints and avoiding account termination.

US authorities said tech-support scams cost Americans USD 2.1 billion last year, while residents of Rhode Island alone reported losses of at least USD 5.7 million.

Court documents stated that between 2016 and 2022, Young, Gevirtz and others knew that some of their customers were operating tech-support fraud schemes using deceptive pop-up warnings falsely claiming computers had been infected with viruses or malware.

Victims were instructed to call telephone numbers displayed in the pop-up messages, which connected them to call centres where they were persuaded to pay hundreds of dollars for unnecessary or fake technical-support services.

In some cases, call centre agents remotely accessed victims’ computers and obtained personal and financial information.

Court filings alleged that despite repeated complaints and inquiries from telecom providers and law enforcement agencies, Young and Gevirtz failed to report the fraudulent activity. Instead, authorities said, they advised certain customers on methods to avoid complaints and prevent account closures.

They also assisted some customers in buying and selling fraudulent calls among themselves, authorities alleged.

“What the CEO and CSO of this well-known call tracking and analytics company did was downright despicable,” Ted E Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division, said.

“By their own admission, they willfully profited from telemarketing and tech support scammers, here and abroad, who preyed on the elderly, exploited the vulnerable, and drained victims of their life savings and peace of mind,” he said.

(With inputs from PTI)