World

Two US men plead guilty to helping Indian call centres scam elderly Americans

Two American tech executives have pleaded guilty to federal charges for providing the vital technical infrastructure that allowed India-based call centres to defraud vulnerable, elderly Americans of millions of dollars. Former CEO Adam Young and former CSO Harrison Gevirtz admitted to routing deceptive pop-up scam calls through their telecommunications business. An FBI investigation revealed that the duo not only facilitated call routing but also actively advised the scammers on bypassing security checks and avoiding account termination.

The FBI said that the investigation into the Americans also led to the arrest of five people in India. (Representative image) (Unsplash)

In a statement, the FBI said: “Two individuals have pleaded guilty to charges stemming from their operation of a business that provided services to customers engaged in widespread telemarketing and tech-support fraud schemes targeting victims throughout the United States and abroad.”

Also Read: 89 Indians in the list of ‘Worst of the Worst’ criminals issued by Homeland Security

It continued, “Former CEO Adam Young, 42, of Miami, FL, and former CSO Harrison Gevirtz, 33, of Las Vegas, NV, admitted to operating a business that provided telecommunications-related services, including telephone numbers, call routing services, call tracking, and call forwarding services, to customers they knew were engaged in tech-support fraud schemes. Young and Gevirtz each pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony, in violation of federal law.” The duo are scheduled to be sentenced on June 16, 2026.

Arrests in India:

The statement further explained, “Young and Gevirtz pleaded guilty after an investigation beginning in 2020 that led to the conviction of five India-based telemarketing fraudsters and a former employee of their call routing company. Indian citizens Sahil Narang, Chirag Sachdeva, Abrar Anjum and Manish Kumar, were convicted of charges related to telemarketing fraud schemes based in the Republic of India that targeted and defrauded Americans of millions of dollars, many of them vulnerable to fraud schemes due to age or infirmity. The investigation also contributed to the conviction of another individual, Jagmeet Singh Virk, in the U.S. District Court for the Norther District of California. The investigation further revealed that call centers based in India utilized Young and Gervitz’s business to route their ‘tech fraud’ scheme calls and, in some instances, advised those fraudsters on methods intended to reduce complaints and prevent account terminations.”

Also Read: Indian-origin Subu Vedam allowed to stay in US after 43 years of wrongful imprisonment

“What the CEO and CSO of this well-known call tracking and analytics company did was downright despicable. By their own admission, they willfully profited from telemarketing and tech support scammers, here and abroad, who preyed on the elderly, exploited the vulnerable, and drained victims of their life savings and peace of mind. Behind every fraudulent call was a real person left frightened, humiliated, or financially shattered,” Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division, said.

“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 fuel and support these criminal networks that prey on unsuspecting consumers, the FBI will pursue you relentlessly to ensure you’re held accountable for the harm you helped inflict.”