TUCSON — A 60-year-old Indian citizen was sentenced to eight years in federal prison for his role in a money laundering conspiracy that cheated elderly victims in Arizona and across the country, federal prosecutors said.
U.S. District Judge John C. Hinderaker sentenced Ahmed Maqbul Syed, a former Illinois resident, to 96 months in prison on Tuesday and ordered him to pay roughly $2.4 million in restitution, according to KTAR News. Syed had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Prosecutors said the scheme typically began with pop-up messages on victims’ computer screens falsely warning of a critical error. Victims who called the listed number reached scammers posing as tech support workers or government agents.
The callers told victims their bank accounts were compromised, in some cases falsely claiming the accounts were tied to serious crimes. Victims were then told to protect their money by buying gold, withdrawing cash or buying gift cards and handing them over. At least one victim was told to deposit cash in a bitcoin ATM.
Several victims lost most of their life savings, authorities said.
The FBI’s Phoenix Field Office in Tucson and the Marana Police Department investigated the case, which was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Tucson.
Authorities urge people never to call phone numbers in computer pop-ups and to remember that legitimate agencies will not ask for gold, cash or gift cards.
Sources: KTAR News. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Grj23 / CC0 via Wikimedia Commons.
