Pop-Ups, Gold Bars and Bitcoin ATMs: Two Charged in Arizona Tech Support Laundering Case

Read that again. Gold.

So what happened?

On December 11, 2024, a federal grand jury in Tucson, Arizona, indicted Ahmed Maqbul Syed, 57, and Rupesh Chandra Chintakindi, 27, both citizens of India, for conspiracy to commit money laundering. Syed was also charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona, part of the Department of Justice (DOJ), announced the case on December 30, 2024. The case number is CR-24-08825-TUC-JCH.

According to the indictment, here's how the scheme worked:

• Victims would receive a "pop-up" on their computer claiming it had been hacked or had some other issues.
• They would then be directed to contact "tech support" or "government representatives."
• Other conspirators convinced them their accounts had been hacked and their information compromised. Not true.
• Victims were told to withdraw or move their money to "protect" it.

And then it got wild. According to the DOJ, victims were told to:

• Buy gold from gold dealers and withdraw cash, which people pretending to be government representatives would pick up.
• Buy gift cards and send the card numbers to those individuals they thought were helping.
• In at least one case, deposit cash into a bitcoin ATM.

The indictment says the scheme targeted elderly victims across the country, including in Arizona.

Each charge carries up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Syed was arrested and ordered to be detained pending trial. These are allegations. An indictment isn't a conviction.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), through its Indianapolis and Phoenix divisions, investigated with the Marana Police Department and local agencies from five states.

Here's the thing ...

This isn't the standard "pay $299 for a virus cleanup" scam. The tech support pitch is the entry point. Once you're scared, it becomes "your bank account is compromised," then "the government needs to secure your money."

That's three lies on top of each other. And it all starts with one phone call the victim makes because of a fake pop-up.

Why should you care?

If you're buying inbound calls in tech support, you need to know the origin of these calls. Fake pop-ups are the fuel for scams like this.

And if your call center ever hears "government representative" in the same breath as "tech support"? Get out. Fast.

What to do this week

• Audit your traffic sources. No pop-up traffic that fakes a hack warning.
• Ban any script that tells callers to move, withdraw or "protect" money.
• Train agents to be aware of callers who say someone told them to buy gold or gift cards.
• Report what you see. The FBI wants to hear about it.

Pro tip: no real tech support company ever needs your gold. That's it.