US shuts India-based call centre operation that defrauded elderly Americans

US authorities have shut down an India-based call centre operation that allegedly defrauded hundreds of elderly Americans of millions of dollars through tech support scams, following a years-long investigation that led to the conviction of five "telemarketing fraudsters".

In a social media post on Wednesday (May 20), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Boston said that the probe also resulted in the arrest and conviction of a former employee of the call routing company used by the fraudsters.

It said the call centre scam targeted hundreds of elderly victims in the US and abroad and defrauded them of millions of dollars, and two senior executives who operated a business that enabled it have just admitted to turning a blind eye to this 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," it said.

American senior citizens deserve honour, respect, and protection, and those targeting them with fraudulent schemes will be brought to justice, the post said.

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According to a statement issued by the US Attorney's Office for the District of Rhode Island, Adam Young, 42, of Miami and Harrison Gevirtz, 33, of Las Vegas, admitted to operating a business that provided telecommunications-related services, including telephone numbers, call routing services, call tracking, and call forwarding services, to customers they knew were engaged 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 of their call routing company.

Indian nationals Sahil Narang, Chirag Sachdeva, Abrar Anjum and Manish Kumar were convicted on charges related to India-based telemarketing fraud schemes that targeted and defrauded Americans, many of them elderly or otherwise vulnerable, the statement said.

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 cases, were advised on methods to reduce complaints and prevent account termination.

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

According to court documents, between 2016 and 2022, Young, Gevirtz and others were aware that some of their customers operated tech-support fraud schemes using deceptive pop-up messages that falsely warned computer users that their systems had been infected with viruses or malware.

Victims were directed to call phone numbers displayed in the pop-ups, which connected them to call centres where they were persuaded to pay hundreds of dollars for unnecessary or fictitious technical-support services.

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

Court filings stated that despite receiving multiple complaints and inquiries from telecom providers and law enforcement agencies, Young and Gevirtz failed to report the fraud schemes and instead advised some customers on techniques to avoid complaints and prevent account terminations.

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They also assisted certain 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.

"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.