US sentences 21 in India-based call centre scam

washington — Twenty-one Indian-origin persons have been sentenced here to up to 20 years for their role in a massive India-based call centre scam which defrauded thousands of US residents of hundreds of millions of dollars, the Justice Department said.

The sentences which range from 4 years to 20 years were announced earlier this week, the department said in a press release on Friday.

“The stiff sentences imposed this week represent the culmination of the first-ever large scale, multi-jurisdiction prosecution targeting the India call center scam industry,” said Attorney-General Jeff Sessions. “This case represents one of the most significant victories to date in our continuing efforts to combat elder fraud and the victimisation of the most vulnerable members of the US public.

“The transnational criminal ring of fraudsters and money launderers who conspired to bilk older Americans, legal immigrants and many others out of their life savings, must recognise that all resources will be deployed to shut down these telefraud schemes, put those responsible in jail and bring a measure of justice to the victims,” Sessions said.

According to various admissions made in connection with the defendants’ guilty pleas, between 2012 and 2016, the defendants and their conspirators perpetrated a complex fraud and money laundering scheme in which individuals from call centres located in Ahmedabad frequently impersonated officials

from the federal tax agency, Internal Revenue Service or US Citizenship and Immigration Services in a ruse designed to defraud victims located throughout the US.

Using information obtained from data brokers and other sources, the accused targeted the US victims who

were threatened with arrest, imprisonment, fines or deportation if they did not pay alleged monies owed to the government. Victims who agreed to pay the scammers were instructed how to provide payment, including by purchasing stored value cards or wiring money. —