5 Indian, 2 US businessmen: Inside the Indian call center operation that the FBI shut down for fraud
The FBI in Boston announced that they have shut down a call center operation in India after busting a major racket that also involved criminals from the US. The call center operation defrauded hundreds of elderly victims in the US and elsewhere out of millions of dollars through technical support scams. The FBI investigation said two senior US officials were part of it and, in fact, enabled it by turning a blind eye to widespread fraud.
Who are Adam Young and Harrison Gewirtz? What was the scam?
Adam Young, 42, of Florida, and Harrison Gewirtz, 33, of Las Vegas, operated a business, Ringba, that provided telecommunications-related services, including telephone numbers, call routing services, call tracking and call forwarding services, to customers they knew engaged in technical support fraud schemes. He has now pleaded guilty to a felony, in violation of federal law. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 16, 2026.The investigation further revealed that call centers based in India used Young and Gerwitz’s business to route their “technical fraud” scheme calls and, in some cases, advised those fraudsters on ways to reduce complaints and prevent account terminations.
Indian part of the scam: Sahil Narang, Chirag Sachdeva, Abrar Anjum, Manish Kumar, Jagmeet Singh Virk
The investigation began in 2020 which led the FBI to India-based telemarketing fraudsters. Indian nationals Sahil Narang, Chirag Sachdeva, Abrar Anjum and Manish Kumar were convicted of charges related to India-based telemarketing fraud schemes that targeted Americans and defrauded millions of dollars, many of them vulnerable to the fraudulent schemes due to age or infirmity. The fifth person convicted in the same scam was Jagmeet Singh Virk.
Attention your computer has a virus
According to court documents, from approximately 2016 to 2022, Young, Gewirtz and others knew that some of their customers were engaged in tech-assistance fraud schemes. The schemes used misleading pop-up messages to convince computer users that their computers had been infected with a virus or malware. Victims were directed to call a phone number on a pop-up message or advertisement that connected victims to call centers, where they were persuaded to pay hundreds of dollars for unnecessary or fictitious technical-support services. In some cases, call center agents remotely accessed victims’ computers and obtained personal and financial information.
Young, Gewirtz discovered the fraud and became part of it
From 2017 to April 2022, after learning of their clients’ fraudulent schemes, Young and Gewirtz failed to report the schemes to law enforcement authorities. According to statements filed in court, the defendants received numerous complaints and inquiries from telephone providers and law enforcement regarding customers who engaged in technical support fraud. Despite that knowledge, he advised some of his clients on techniques that clients could use to avoid complaints from fraud victims and prevent account termination. Young and Gevirtz helped some of those clients buy and sell fraudulent calls among themselves.Young and Gewirtz themselves owned and operated a call center in Tunisia from 2016 to April 2022, where some employees engaged in technical-support fraud.“What the CEO and CSO of this well-known call tracking and analytics company did was extremely despicable. By their own admission, they knowingly profited from telemarketing and technical support scammers here and abroad who preyed on the elderly, exploited the vulnerable and robbed victims of their life savings and peace of mind. “Behind every prank call is a real person who is frightened, humiliated or financially broke,” said Ted Eidox, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division.“Tech support scams cost Americans $2.1 billion last year, and Rhode Islanders reported losing at least $5.7 million. Let this be a warning: If you promote and support these criminal networks that prey on unsuspecting consumers, the FBI will pursue you relentlessly to make sure you are held accountable for the harm you helped cause,” Edox said. Said.Court documents further indicate that the two former CEOs directed employees to promote their company’s services to customers who engaged in technical-support fraud and, at times, introduced customers engaged in fraudulent activity to others who could support their fraudulent business.