'Downright Despicable': FBI Says India-Based Fraud Ring Exploited Elderly Victims Through Fake Virus Scams

Two former executives of a US telecommunications services company have pleaded guilty to federal charges linked to an international tech-support fraud scheme that used fake virus alerts to defraud elderly and unsuspecting Americans. The case follows years of investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, alongside Providence police and Indian authorities.

The two individuals who pleaded guilty were identified as former CEO Adam Young of Miami, Florida, and former CSO Harrison Gevirtz of Las Vegas, Nevada. Both previously held senior leadership positions at Ringba, a call tracking and analytics platform company.

Court documents reveal that Young and Gevirtz were aware of the fraud scheme but never reported it to authorities. Instead, they continued doing business despite knowing it was a serious crime. This activity reportedly ran from 2016 to 2022, with a formal investigation beginning in 2020.

After pleading guilty to misprision of a felony, the fate of Young and Gevirtz will be known next month. Both are scheduled for sentencing on 16 June 2026. The punishment both will receive falls into the hands of a federal district judge based on the US Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The case will be prosecuted by Assistant US Attorneys Milind Shah, Sandra Hebert, Julianne Klein, and Lee Vilker.

Indian Fraudsters Fall

Aside from Young and Gevirtz, several people in India were also convicted in connection with the telemarketing fraud scheme. Those charged were identified as Sahil Narang, Chirag Sachdeva, Abrar Anjum, and Manish Kumar for targeting Americans and duping them out of millions of dollars.

In addition to these convictions, the FBI said that the investigation also led to the conviction of another individual named Jagmeet Singh Virk. However, the agency did not provide details on the charges he faced.

'By their own admission, they wilfully profited from telemarketing and tech support scammers, here and abroad, who preyed on the elderly, exploited the vulnerable, and drained victims of their life savings and peace of mind,' Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Boston Division, stated. 'Behind every fraudulent call was a real person left frightened, humiliated, or financially shattered.'

'What the CEO and CSO of this well-known call tracking and analytics company did was downright despicable,' he added.

How the Scam Was Carried Out

The scam was carried out through the use of deceptive pop-up messages. They would warn users of virus or malware infections and then convince victims to call numbers that could connect them to fraudulent call centres to help resolve their problem.

After calling the said numbers, fictitious technical support services were offered. To access them and get help, a fee had to be paid. Some ended up paying hundreds of dollars for a service that was unnecessary in the first place.

Aside from that controversial fee, call centre agents were allegedly able to access the computers of unknowing victims, allowing them to steal sensitive personal and financial data.

Young and Gevirtz reportedly received complaints and inquiries about the fraud schemes but never attempted to report them. Instead, both allegedly advised some customers on ways to avoid complaints and prevent account terminations.

According to Docks, the tech-support scam robbed Americans of roughly $2.1 billion in 2025. Of that amount, Rhode Island residents accounted for at least $5.7 million.