Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that Vinoth Ponmaran has been sentenced to seven years in prison for leading a fraud conspiracy targeting elderly victims.
The scheme, which generated over $6 million from approximately 6,500 victims, involved convincing victims to pay for unnecessary computer support services.
Ponmaran’s fraud ring operated between March 2015 and July 2018, causing pop-up windows to appear on victims’ computers falsely claiming virus infections. These windows directed victims to call for technical support, where they were deceived into paying hundreds or thousands of dollars for bogus repairs. The pop-ups often threatened complete data loss if computers were restarted, adding to the victims’ distress.
Ponmaran, based in India, managed a call center that provided fake repair services and recruited U.S. co-conspirators to handle fraudulent corporate entities and bank accounts. He also laundered the fraud proceeds through multiple accounts in the U.S. and India.
U.S. Attorney Williams emphasized the severity of the crime, noting, “Today’s sentence sends a clear message: those who exploit the vulnerable for financial gain will pay a heavy price.”
