Sahil Narang, Telemarket Fraud, Rhode Island 2020

PROVIDENCE – A 29-year-old Indian national has been sent to federal prison for his role in a sophisticated telemarket fraud scheme that targeted thousands of Americans, mostly senior citizens, across the United States.

Sahil Narang, of Gurgoan Haryana, India, was sentenced to 3 years in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for his involvement in the tech fraud and refund fraud online telemarketing schemes.

Narang, who was in the United States illegally at the time of his arrest in May 2019, was described in court documents as a key participant in the schemes. He pleaded guilty on December 11, 2020, to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and 10 counts of wire fraud.

The tech fraud scheme involved Internet pop-up advertisements that deceived computer users into believing they needed computer protection services. The pop-up ads provided a telephone number to call, and on dialing the number, the victims were routed to call center operators who perpetuated the lie that malware had been detected on the victims’ computers and offered the victims supposed computer protection services at exaggerated prices.

In the refund fraud scheme, call center operators telephoned those who had fallen prey to the tech fraud and offered to refund the sum previously paid. Through manipulation – usually the display of false bank account balances on the victims’ computer screens – the operators convinced the victims that sums far in excess of the refund amount had accidentally been deposited into the victims’ accounts.

Between August 30, 2019, and May 1, 2019, Narang and others worked together to manipulate thousands of callers, seeking to obtain from them an estimated $1.5 million to $3 million dollars. An FBI investigation determined that over a nine-month period Narang routed on average more than 70 calls to call centers every day. It is also estimated that Narang’s tech fraud scheme was successful 30% of the time.

In the refund fraud scheme, executed during the same nine-month period, Narang and others associated with call centers sought to obtain from their victims cumulatively $560,900 dollars. The FBI investigation identified at least nine individuals who fell victim to the tech fraud scheme at a total loss of $110,900, which the FBI was able to intercept and return to the victims. During the investigation, the FBI interceded and prevented loss when a tenth victim was on the verge of losing up to $450,000 to the fraudsters.

Narang was arrested in May 2019, and he pleaded guilty on December 11, 2020, to the charges. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Milind M. Shah.

The outcome of the case serves as a reminder of the importance of remaining vigilant against such schemes and taking steps to protect oneself from falling prey to online scams.

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