Ahmed Maqbul Syed, 57, and Rupesh Chandra Chintakindi, 27, both citizens of India, have been charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona announced today.
Additionally, Syed was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to the department.
The indictment alleges that Syed, Chintakindi, and others conspired to launder fraudulent proceeds from schemes targeting older individuals across the U.S., including in Arizona, according to the department.
Victims were generally lured into the schemes by a “pop-up” message on their computer claiming their device had been hacked or had another issue, the office stated.
According to the U.S. attorney’s office, the victims were directed to contact “tech support” or “government representatives” to resolve the issue.
In reality, they were connected to other conspirators who falsely claimed their accounts had been hacked and their personal information compromised, the department said.
The conspirators then instructed victims to withdraw or transfer money, often claiming it was necessary to protect their accounts, the department noted.