Security News > 2020 > December > Ever had a bogus call from someone claiming to be the IRS? A tax scam ringleader just got sent down for 20 years

The man who headed an international criminal call center racket that conned Americans into handing over tens of millions of dollars in the belief they were being chased for money by the US government has been jailed for 20 years.

24 of some 60 individuals charged in relation to the scam - essentially, those who were based in the US - have been found guilty and sentenced.

Patel and his co-conspirators ran a complex scheme in which employees from call centers in Ahmedabad, India, impersonated officials from the IRS and US Citizenship and Immigration Services.

"Working with our law enforcement partners around the globe we have successfully executed the first ever large-scale, multi-jurisdictional investigation and prosecution targeting the India call center scam industry to hold him accountable for his illegal acts and deter similar scams in the future."

"Transnational call center scams are complex cases to investigate and prosecute but our agencies are up to the task. Many of these fraudsters prey on the most vulnerable from the perceived safety of foreign lands so there is no sorry in seeing him head to prison. His access to a phone is now greatly diminished. Across the globe, US law enforcement is chasing and dismantling these schemes."

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2020/12/01/scam_call_prison/