Indian national pleads guilty in robocall scam case worth $8 million

An Indian national has pleaded guilty to conspiracy and identity theft in connection with an overseas robocall scam that defrauded thousands in the US, mostly elderly people, of nearly 8 million dollars, the Department of Justice said.

Shehzadkhan Pathan, 39, operated a call centre in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad that placed automated robocalls to victims in the United States, as per court documents.

After establishing contact with the victims through these automated calls, Pathan and other “closers” at his call centre would coerce, cajole, and trick victims to send bulk cash through physical shipments and electronic money transfers, federal prosecutors alleged.