The FBI San Diego Elder Justice Task Force, along with over 100 law enforcement personnel, executed multiple federal and state arrest and search warrants on Nov. 5, targeting an international elder scam network.

A federal indictment unsealed on Nov. 5 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California charged 22 individuals in the Southern California region for their alleged roles in a conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and/or conspiracy to commit money laundering as part of an international elder fraud tech support and refund scam targeting American seniors.

Court documents say that the task force busted an Indian call center scam targeting elderly individuals across the United States. The scheme operates from foreign countries—namely India, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)—and defrauds victims multiple times: first through a technical support scam and then through a refund scam. The global scheme has been ongoing since at least July 2021.

While the full scope of the victimization is still being uncovered, the FBI has identified over 500 suspected or confirmed U.S. victims with the approximate loss amount exceeding $40 million.

Seth Michael Sheldon, Age: 23; Jose Anthony Cardenas Ortiz, Age: 25; Jose Lauro Luiz Munoz, Age: 48; Matthew Brandon Oh-Slack, Age: 26; Ryan Navarro Anorma, Age: 47; Malique Jordan Shaw, Age: 26; Kenneth Odin Lara, Age: 40; Steven Ray Basic, Age: 21; Nicholas Edward Webber, Age: 24; Jonathan Enriquez Limfueco, Age: 42; Christina Michele Asmus, Age: 45; Andrew Butch Divine, Age: 30; Joshua Estrada, Age: 46; Zachariah Michael T S Siganoff, Age: 30; Edgar Galindez, Age: 32; All are from San Diego. (Read more from “19 Alleged Fraudsters Arrested for Scamming Over 500 US Seniors Out of $40M” HERE)