Florida Man Indicted for Collecting Money From IRS Impersonation and Tech Support Call Center Scams

The bottom line: phone scams need a domestic money pipeline. Federal prosecutors charge the people who run it.

The allegations

The indictment alleges that from at least 2016 through January 2019, Francis conspired with India-based call centers to take money from U.S. residents in three ways:

• IRS impersonation. Callers told people they owed back taxes and would be arrested and fined if they did not pay immediately.
• Advance fee loans. Callers posing as loan officers said people would receive loan proceeds after paying an advance fee.
• Tech support. Callers posed as computer technicians and said victims' computers had been hacked, their identities stolen or their computers infected with viruses and offered to fix the problems for a fee.

Prosecutors allege Francis collected the proceeds by withdrawing money from bank accounts he or his "runners" controlled, picking up money at money services businesses, and depositing checks and cash equivalents. Runners received victims' names, locations and amounts paid. They then retrieved the money in cash and turned it over, often keeping a payment for themselves.

On January 11, 2019, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Francis's home and seized business and financial records, money transfer receipts and two electronic devices.

The charges

The indictment charges conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, substantive wire fraud and mail fraud, and three counts of money laundering. Each fraud count carries up to 20 years in prison. Each money laundering count carries up to 10 years. The government is seeking a money judgment of at least $313,370.03.

The case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General and the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

An indictment is only an accusation. Francis is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

Why it matters

The same overseas call centers often run several scripts at once. One operation may switch between government impersonation, loan offers and tech support. Domestic payment collectors connect all of them to U.S. victims.

What this means for you

1. Watch your merchant and banking relationships for patterns tied to known scam scripts.
2. Never allow anyone to use your accounts to receive consumer payments for others.
3. Train call center staff to recognize government impersonation language.
4. Report suspicious payment requests to law enforcement.

Following the money is how these cases get built.