Fake computer helpline stole thousands from people trying to fix bogus issues, feds say
A New York man pleaded guilty in a computer technical support scheme that targeted people throughout the United States and swindled them out of thousands of dollars, authorities said.
Mohammad Alam, 50, is accused of committing wire fraud, failing to notify authorities and acting to conceal the crime, prosecutors said He pleaded guilty to a misprision of felony, according to an April 13 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana.
The scheme scammed more than $340,000 from 32 people, court documents obtained by McClatchy News show, with hundreds of thousands sent to Alam’s bank accounts.
Alam’s defense attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News.
The scheme
A call center located in India told people their computer had an issue which they could fix for a fee, prosecutors said, though nothing was broken. The call center would then contact the people again and ask for access to their bank accounts to issue a refund they were entitled to, prosecutors said.
The callers, who then controlled the accounts, were able to transfer money from victims’ saving accounts to their checking accounts so it appeared they had been refunded too much money. They then asked victims to return the extra cash.
A Louisiana resident sent $9,900 to Alam believing she was returning the extra refund, court documents show.
Where did the money come from?
Alam said for years he did not know the money came from victims of a computer fraud, prosecutors said.
Starting in 2016, S.S., a foreign national contacted Alam “regarding a potential business venture,” prosecutors said. Alam followed S.S.’ instructions and received and transferred funds through 15 different bank accounts, court documents show.
It’s only in spring 2018 that Alam learned the money he was receiving and sending came from a computer scam. After discovering the scheme, he closed his bank accounts to try and conceal the wire fraud, court documents show.
“Individuals like Alam assist fraudsters by receiving money from victims of fraud and forwarding it to the fraud organizers, many of whom are located abroad,” according to the release. “Some of these so-called money mules know they are assisting fraudsters, but others are unaware of the illegal scheme.”
Alam now faces a sentence of up to three years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and one year of supervised release, according to prosecutors.
This story was originally published April 14, 2022 at 2:48 PM with the headline "Fake computer helpline stole thousands from people trying to fix bogus issues, feds say."
