Two brothers and a third man from New York have been charged in a $2 million dollar call center scam, reports the New York Post.
Kamal Zafar, 51, Jamal Zafar, 48, and Queens man Armughanul Asar, 68, pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money-laundering conspiracy.
“These defendants remotely used ruthless scare tactics and threatened innocent citizens, including the elderly, widows, and professionals, under the guise of having to pay off unfounded financial obligations to the U.S. government for their own personal gain,” said IRS special agent Jonathan D. Larsen to Newsday.
The men are accused of operating their call center in India and scamming U.S. victims across the country. Newsday reports the victims included a Missouri man who was cheated out of a $70,000 memorial fund established after the deaths of his wife and two daughters killed in a traffic accident. Another victims, a 76-year-old woman, lost her retirement savings.
The Post reports callers would tell their victims they had outstanding debts and faced arrests if they didn’t pay quickly.
All three men were born in Pakistan.
