Indian National Sentenced to 8 Years in US for Laundering Money from Fraud Targeting Elderly
A 60-year-old Indian national has been sentenced to eight years in prison in the United States for laundering money linked to a major fraud scheme targeting elderly people. The court has also ordered him to pay approximately USD 2.4 million (around Rs 21 crore) in restitution to the victims.
Ahmed Maqbul Syed, a former resident of Illinois, was sentenced to 96 months in prison by US District Judge John C. Hinderaker last week. According to a statement issued by the US Department of Justice, Syed had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Investigators found that Syed was involved in laundering proceeds from a widespread tech support and government impersonation scam targeting elderly victims across the United States, including Arizona.
The fraudsters initially deceived victims through fake computer pop-up messages warning them about technical problems or causing their computers to freeze. When victims called the numbers provided for assistance, they were connected to scammers posing as technical support personnel or government officials.
The scammers then falsely claimed that the victims’ bank accounts had been hacked or their personal information compromised. In some cases, victims were even told that their accounts had been linked to child pornography or other criminal activities.
Under the pretext of protecting their assets, victims were instructed to withdraw cash, purchase gold and hand over the money to individuals posing as government officials. Others were persuaded to purchase gift cards and share their numbers with the fraudsters. At least one victim was also instructed to deposit cash into a Bitcoin ATM.
According to the US Department of Justice, several victims lost most of their life savings in the scheme.
The court’s sentence includes eight years of imprisonment and an order to pay approximately USD 2.4 million in restitution to those affected by the fraud.
