New York: 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 probe that produced convictions of five telemarketing fraudsters, PTI reported.
The FBI’s Boston field office said the investigation also led to the arrest and conviction of a former employee of the call‑routing company used by the fraudsters. In a social media post on Wednesday, the FBI said the probe identified two senior executives who ran a business that enabled the scam and who have admitted to turning a blind eye to 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 FBI Boston post said. The agency added that American senior citizens “deserve honour, respect, and protection, and those targeting them with fraudulent schemes will be brought to justice.”
Guilty Pleas From US Operators
A statement from the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island said Adam Young, 42, of Miami, and Harrison Gevirtz, 33, of Las Vegas, pleaded guilty after an investigation launched in 2020. Prosecutors say the men ran a business supplying telephone numbers, call routing, call tracking and forwarding to customers they knew were running tech‑support fraud schemes.
The probe also resulted in convictions of India‑based telemarketers. Indian nationals Sahil Narang, Chirag Sachdeva, Abrar Anjum and Manish Kumar were convicted for running India‑based telemarketing frauds that targeted Americans, many elderly or otherwise vulnerable, the statement said. The investigation also produced the conviction of Jagmeet Singh Virk in the US District Court for the Northern District of California.
How The Scam Worked
Authorities say scammers used deceptive pop‑up warnings claiming users’ computers were infected with viruses or malware. Phone numbers in the pop‑ups connected victims to call centres, where they were pressured into paying hundreds of dollars for unnecessary or fictitious technical support. In some cases, agents remotely accessed victims’ computers and took personal and financial data.
US authorities said tech support scams cost Americans USD 2.1 billion last year, while residents of Rhode Island reported losses of at least USD 5.7 million.
Allegations Against Routing‑Service Executives
Between 2016 and 2022, court filings say, Young, Gevirtz and others knew that some of their customers ran tech‑support scams. Despite repeated complaints from telecom companies and law enforcement, prosecutors say the two did not report the schemes. Instead, they allegedly coached clients on how to reduce complaints and avoid having accounts shut, and helped some buy and sell fraudulent calls among themselves.
“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 added.
Victims, Scope & Next Steps
Prosecutors said India‑based call centres used Young and Gevirtz’s services to route “tech fraud” calls and were sometimes coached on ways to avoid detection and curb complaints. The guilty pleas follow the convictions of the India‑based operators and a former call‑routing employee as part of the multi‑year probe launched in 2020.
Federal authorities did not immediately identify the India‑based call centres that were shut down, but the coordinated actions underscore ongoing US efforts to disrupt cross‑border fraud networks that increasingly target older Americans.
