Indian national jailed for 8 years in US over laundering case targeting elderly people; ordered to pay $2.4m to victims

An Indian national has been sentenced to eight years in prison in the United States for helping launder money collected through fraud schemes that targeted elderly people across the country.Ahmed Maqbul Syed, 60, a former Illinois resident, received a 96-month prison sentence on Tuesday. He was also ordered to pay approximately $2.4 million in restitution to victims after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering.According to the US Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona, Syed was involved in a network that handled money obtained through fraudulent tech support and government impersonation schemes. The scams targeted people across the US.The fraud typically began with fake computer alerts warning users about technical problems or freezing their devices. People who called the numbers displayed in these messages were connected to criminals posing as technical support staff or government officials.The scammers falsely told victims that their bank accounts had been hacked or their personal information compromised. In some cases, they claimed that victims' accounts were connected to child pornography or other criminal activity.Victims were then instructed to move their money to supposedly secure their assets. Some were told to purchase gold or withdraw cash and hand it over to people posing as government officials. Others were asked to buy gift cards and share their numbers with the scammers. At least one victim was directed to deposit cash into a Bitcoin ATM.The schemes resulted in substantial financial losses, with some victims losing most of their life savings, according to prosecutors.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.