Close X
Thursday, December 12, 2024
ADVT 
India

Indian-Origin Persons Among 15 Indicted In US Call Centre Scam

IANS, 10 Sep, 2018 02:05 PM
    Fifteen people, including some of Indian-origin, and five India-based call centres have been indicted in a multi-million call centre scam that victimized thousands of people in the US.
     
     
    Seven people were arrested on Thursday in the US for their alleged involvement in the scam that victimized over 2,000 people, resulting in over $5.5 million in losses, the US Justice Department said in a press release on Friday. 
     
     
    Seven defendants and five call centres in India were also charged for their alleged involvement, officials said.
     
     
    Mohamed Kazim Momin, Palak Kumar Patel, Mohammed Sozab Momin, Devin Bradford Pope, Nicholas Alezander Deane, Drue Kyle Riggins and Jantz Parrish Miller were arraigned before US Magistrate Judge Janet F. King.
     
     
    "Internal Revenue Service (federal tax agency) and payday loan phone schemes seek to profit by exploiting US citizens, including the most vulnerable members of our community," said US Attorney Byung J. Pak. 
     
     
    "This indictment and yesterday's arrests demonstrate our commitment to identifying and prosecuting those who hide behind these types of phone scams."
     
     
    "This indictment makes clear that the IRS impersonation scam has risen to a new level, with indictments against five call centres and seven co-conspirators in India who allegedly directed their employees to participate in the scam," said J. Russell George, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. 
     
     
    The indictment alleged that the defendants were involved in a "sophisticated scheme organized by co-conspirators in India, including a network of call centres in Ahmedabad". 
     
     
    Using information obtained from data brokers and other sources, the accused allegedly called potential victims while impersonating officials from the IRS or individuals offering fictitious payday loans. 
     
     
    The accused would then threaten potential victims with arrest, imprisonment, or fines if they did not pay taxes or penalties to the government. 
     
     
    If the victims agreed to pay, the Indian call centres allegedly would immediately turn to a network of US-based co-conspirators to liquidate and launder the extorted funds by purchasing prepaid debit cards or through wire transfers, to the attention of fictitious names and US-based defendants and their co-conspirators. 
     
     
    The five India-based call centres that were indicted were Excellent Solutions BPO, ADN Infotech Pvt. Ltd, Infoace BPO Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Adore Infosource, Inc. and Zurik BPO Services Pvt. Ltd. 
     
     
    The other indicted people were Shylesh Kumar Sharma, Dilipkumar Kodwini, Radhishraj Natarajan, Shubham Sharma, Nirav Janakbhai Panchal, Athar Parvez Mansuri, Mohmmad Samir Memon and Rodrigo Leon-Castillo. 

    MORE India ARTICLES

    Properties of NRIs Deserting Wives To Be Confiscated Under New Law

    Properties of NRIs Deserting Wives To Be Confiscated Under New Law
    External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday said the government will enact a law during the next session of Parliament, if not during the current session to beef up the legal provisions.

    Properties of NRIs Deserting Wives To Be Confiscated Under New Law

    He Is Punjab Da Puttar: Imran Khan's Jalandhar Connect, His Maternal Family Lived At Basti Danishman

    Sixty-five-year-old Fakir Chand, an area resident, says: “Imran Khan’s maternal family was based here. Shaukat Khanum, Imran’s mother, belonged to this place. They were instrumental in setting up Islamia College here in the early 1940s.”

    He Is Punjab Da Puttar: Imran Khan's Jalandhar Connect, His Maternal Family Lived At Basti Danishman

    Iraq Deaths: Punjab Govt Yet To Take Action Against Agent, Says Sushma Swaraj

    Iraq Deaths: Punjab Govt Yet To Take Action Against Agent, Says Sushma Swaraj
    Union Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj on Friday expressed concerns at the apathy on the part of states, including Punjab, to take action against dubious agents running racket of illegally sending people abroad.

    Iraq Deaths: Punjab Govt Yet To Take Action Against Agent, Says Sushma Swaraj

    Delhi Starvation Deaths: Father Gave 'Unknown Medicine' To Girls, Says Report

    A preliminary magisterial probe report on Friday sought “deeper investigation” into the conduct of the father of three girls, who allegedly died due to starvation in East Delhi, and said he had given them some “unknown medicine”.

    Delhi Starvation Deaths: Father Gave 'Unknown Medicine' To Girls, Says Report

    Sukhpal Khaira Calls AAP Decision To Sack Him ‘Arbitrary’

    Sukhpal Khaira Calls AAP Decision To Sack Him ‘Arbitrary’
    Sacked from the position of Leader of Opposition, Bholath MLA Sukhpal Khaira on Friday took a defiant stand asking Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leadership to revoke the decision.

    Sukhpal Khaira Calls AAP Decision To Sack Him ‘Arbitrary’

    New Law To Tackle Problems In NRI Marriages: Sushma Swaraj

    New Law To Tackle Problems In NRI Marriages: Sushma Swaraj
    External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday said that her ministry is framing a new law to tackle the problem in NRI marriages and providing for deterrent measures like confiscating property of NRIs who have abandoned their wives.

    New Law To Tackle Problems In NRI Marriages: Sushma Swaraj