Indian sentenced to over 15 years imprisonment in US for fraud scheme

Once the victims contacted the fraudsters, they were told various stories such as they were communicating with an expert that needed remote access to their computer in order to provide technical support services. The fraudsters then gained access to victims’ personal data and bank and credit card information. Victims typically paid a fee to conspirators for the fake technical support but were later told they were due a refund. Other Indian nationals involved in the conspiracy were named as Anirudha Kalkote, 26, who pleaded guilty in relation to the conspiracy, as did Sumit Kumar Singh, 26, Himanshu Kumar, 26, and MD Hasib, 27. They all resided illegally in Houston and are pending sentencing. All five individuals will remain in custody. Victims were also re-victimised multiple times and were threatened with bodily harm if they did not pay, authorities said. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the many letters and victim impact statements it had read showing the financial devastation to elderly and vulnerable victims throughout the United States because of this fraud scheme.“The victims in this case were devastated, financially and otherwise,” said Hamdani.