The Montgomery County Police Department and FBI uncovered a criminal enterprise of money laundering call center scams in India targeting Maryland residents for millions of dollars, including elderly residents in Montgomery County.
Two local residents who lost all their retirement savings to the scams shared their stories Monday at the county’s public safety headquarters in Gaithersburg, where MCPD and the FBI discussed the investigation. These two residents, Lisa, who only wanted to be identified by her first name for privacy concerns, and Sahadev, who also wanted to be identified by his first name only, received emails from what they thought was the US Social Security Administration.
Once these residents realized they were scammed, they immediately reported it to law enforcement. The complaints went to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, and the scams were traced to India. The FBI worked with Indian authorities to take down three call center scam operations—the same three centers that scammers used to target county residents and others across the US.
The call centers are now shut down and six alleged leaders of the operations are under arrest, according to Jimmy Paul, FBI Baltimore special agent in charge.
The call centers had been operating for years with 660 Americans reporting losing almost $50 million. Marylanders lost more than $6.2 million, with Montgomery County residents losing the most at around $6 million, authorities told MCM.
Only about $14,000 has been recovered for some victims, while most are not likely to ever get their money back.
Another $3.6 million was prevented from being lost thanks to detectives working quickly with banking systems, according to Montgomery County Police Captain Marc Erme.
The call centers were an integral part of international organized crime, according to Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy.
McCarthy said that, in Montgomery County, seven money mules have been indicted, and three others are pending trial.
Know How to Spot a Scam
Authorities want residents to know the warning signs of this type of scam. They said law enforcement and government officials will never contact people by phone threatening a fine or arrest. Government agencies will never send someone to collect gold or cash to pay a fine, or to safeguard someone’s money, said law enforcement officials. In additon, government agencies will never require payment through money drop offs, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency, they said.
Scammers try to isolate victims and create a sense of urgency. Authorities advise residents to resist the pressure to act quickly. Hang up the phone, and talk to a loved one. If someone thinks they are being scammed, they should contact their bank immediately and report it to law enforcement.
