Agents working from Indian call centers alleged tax evasion and fraud to extract money from US citizens
Shocking revelations of people who were affected by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) scam calls that were operated by handlers working in Indian call centers were released by Reuters. Investigation has revealed that IRS Scam has looted US citizens of $300 million.
The investigating authority shared transcripts of the conversations between IRS agents and the victims, and one such transcript is a frantic call made by a woman in National City, California whom the agent alleged of tax evasion and fraud.
The woman had a panic attack after receiving the call and got back to the number. A man on the other end said she has to pay IRS $1000 for evading tax. The woman who didn’t sense trouble said she could pay only $500. The man asked her to send the amount ASAP and instructed her to keep the line open and go to the nearby store where she was asked to buy $500 worth iTune gift cards and gave the agent the redemption codes.
As of now, investigating officers have arrested 20 people in the US in connection with the IRS phone scam and the Indian police, during a raid in Mumbai had arrested 75 people who worked in a call center from where the calls were made.
Until now, the court has charged 56 people in India, confirming that the “telefraud” scams were run from fake call centers in India.
Investigators in India are still on the hunt for Sagar Thakkar alias Shaggy, the mastermind of the fake IRS calls. The US department of Justice has also named Thakkar, who is in his 30s, in the charge sheet.
Parag Manere, a deputy commissioner at Thane police, told Reuters “We are trying to complete the procedure to issue a red corner notice for Thakkar.”
A police officer was quoted by Reuters saying “We are trying to complete the procedure to issue a red corner notice for Thakkar.”
According to the investigating team, Thakkar was living a flamboyant life, often visiting 5-star hotels and traveling in expensive cars bought using the money he hoarded through the scam. According to the report, Thakkar gifted 25 million rupees ($365,000) Audi R8, to his girlfriend.
“We have seized an Audi car, and are trying to find other assets of Thakkar,” Manere said.
One man who was arrested by the police in connection with the case who managed operations of a fake call center, told Reuters that on a particular day, his team was able to extract $20,000 from a single US citizen.
According to police, hundreds of men and women were employed by Thakkar in Thane-based call centers in night shift. They posed as IRS officials and threatened US citizens and immigrants of deportation and imprisonment, forcing them to transfer funds electronically. In some cases, they made the victims pay through gift cards and turning over the redemption codes, Indian investigators said.
Some former employees of the call center said to Reuters that they had little knowledge about the functioning of the firm and many of them who are graduates, took the low paying opportunity as they were out of a job for a long time.