MD Azad has been sentenced to 188 months in federal prison for leading a fraud ring that targeted elderly victims across the United States and elsewhere. The scheme involved deceiving victims into sending money through wire transfers, gift cards or cash, with Azad identified as the U.S.-based ringleader, according to an Aug. 10 news release.
"The victims in this case were devastated, financially and otherwise," U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani said in the release. "This fraud ring repeatedly preyed on elderly and vulnerable people in the United States who spoke of threats of bodily harm if they did not comply with demands for more money. Our hope, and that of many of the victims, is deterrence so as to stop others who would think of doing similar harm in our community and beyond."
Azad, a 26-year-old Indian national who had been residing illicitly in Houston, admitted his culpability Aug. 15, 2022. He confessed to being an active participant in a fraudulent operation spanning from 2019 to 2020, which was operational in several cities, including Houston, the release reported.
Furthermore, U.S. District Judge Kenneth Hoyt ruled Azad must undergo a period of 188 months within a federal penitentiary. Being an Indian citizen, Azad is anticipated to undergo deportation proceedings subsequent to serving his prison sentence, according to the release.
During the court proceeding, supplementary evidence was presented, painting Azad as the orchestrator of this illicit venture within the U.S., working in tandem with a call center located in India, the release said.
While pronouncing the sentence, the court underscored its consideration of a multitude of letters and statements detailing the substantial financial harm inflicted upon elderly and susceptible victims all across the U.S. as a consequence of this fraudulent scheme. The elaborate plot specifically targeted senior citizens across the expanse of the U.S. and beyond, the release reported.
The syndicate artfully ensnared and beguiled their victims through an array of cunning tactics. These tactics included instructing individuals to dispatch funds via wire transfers conducted through money transmission services like Western Union or MoneyGram. They also lured victims into purchasing gift cards and furnishing the details to the scammers or even compelling them to send physical cash under aliases through FedEx or UPS, the release said.
A key facet of this scheme involved the malefactors initiating contact with their victims either by telephone or through online platforms posing as providers of computer technical assistance. Once engaged, the victims were deftly guided toward a specific phone number, the release reported. Upon interaction, the victims were subjected to a barrage of fabricated narratives, often being led to believe they were communicating with an adept technician who required remote access to their computer systems for the purpose of delivering technical support services.
In this calculated maneuver, the scammers successfully infiltrated the victims' personal information vaults, extracting details related to their banking and credit card accounts. The typical modus operandi saw victims remunerating the co-conspirators under the guise of availing fake technical support. Later, these victims were artfully informed that they were entitled to a refund, according to the release.
Through this convoluted path of "technical support" expenditure and subsequent "refund" procedures, the criminal circle maneuvered its way into the victims' bank accounts and credit lines. Under the pretense of a typographical blunder resulting in an excessive refund, the scam artists manipulated the account records, the release said.
Following this deception, victims were systematically directed to recompense the criminal operation by means of various methods, the release reported.
