Nineteen Alleged Fraudsters Arrested for Conspiring to Scam Over 500 U.S. Seniors

International call center scheme targeted elderly Americans with losses of more than $40 million

November 5, 2025 - The FBI San Diego Elder Justice Task Force (EJTF), along with over 100 law enforcement personnel, executed multiple federal and state arrest and search warrants on November 5 targeting alleged members and associates of an international elder scam network.

A federal indictment unsealed on November 5 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California charged 22 individuals in the Southern California region for alleged their 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.

According to court documents, the EJTF led the investigation into 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 over: 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. 

“As today’s numerous arrests confirm, FBI San Diego’s Elder Justice Task Force and its partner agencies are leading the charge against fraudsters targeting American seniors,” said Mark Dargis, special agent in charge of the FBI San Diego Field Office. “Our nation’s elderly citizens deserve to be treated with respect, not scammed out of their hard-earned savings by criminals exploiting their trust. FBI San Diego and our local and federal law enforcement partners will relentlessly investigate those who prey on our senior community and ensure they are held fully accountable.”

According to court documents, this fraud scheme is believed to be ongoing and operates in three distinct phases:

1. the Opener Phase (a tech support scam);
2. the Closer Phase (a refund scam); and
3. the Money Transmitter Phase (money laundering of refund scam proceeds to entities whose products are used to facilitate the scheme and transmission of funds back to overseas actors).

Charged defendants in this case are alleged to have participated in the scheme primarily as money transmitters; however, some of the charged defendants were recruited to elevated positions in the criminal organization and participated in the refund portion of the scam and took calls with live victims.

According to court documents, San Diego resident Victor Marion is alleged to have orchestrated U.S.-based individuals in Southern California to receive millions of dollars of elder fraud victim funds and immediately transfer the majority of the funds to overseas actors. Marion is alleged to have maintained direct communication with India- and Dubai-based leaders of the transnational criminal organization (TCO) and ran the TCO’s San Diego-based money laundering cell since at least fall 2023.

According to court documents, Marion is alleged to have used his business—Mecca Barbershop—to recruit money launderers and consolidate elderly victim funds. As the leader of the San Diego money laundering cell, Marion received a percentage of the fraud funds that were laundered through the 20-plus co-conspirators working under his purview. Marion is alleged to have helped those money launderers graduate into higher levels of the organization, including by relocating abroad to defraud elderly Americans from India and Dubai.

According to court documents, the foreign leaders of the scheme offered San Diego-based money transmitters all-expenses-paid trips to Thailand in order for those money transmitters to take on more substantial roles in the organization, namely by becoming closers. On these trips, the foreign leaders paid for flights (on at least one occasion via first class) and all other expenses, treated money transmitters lavishly, described the nature of the scheme in detail, had them shadow a closer, brought them to a villa, and then—if the money transmitters agreed—trained them for weeks on how to be closers and honed their skillset on live victims.

In addition to the 19 arrests today, the FBI San Diego EJTF seized multiple bank accounts used as part of the fraudulent scheme, as well as a BMW vehicle purchased with victim funds. 

Marion and 18 of his alleged co-conspirators were arrested over the last 24 hours on November 5 and will make initial appearances later this week.

If convicted of the charges in the criminal complaint, most of the federal defendants face a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison.

This investigation was led by the San Diego Elder Justice Task Force, which is a collaboration between the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California, the San Diego Police Department, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office, the San Diego District Attorney’s Office, Adult Protective Services, and the San Diego Law Enforcement Coordination Center, with additional assistance from the Azusa, California Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations San Diego, the U.S. Border Patrol Tactical Unit, the FBI Los Angeles Riverside Resident Agency, the FBI Sacramento Fresno Resident Agency, FBI Phoenix, and FBI Las Vegas.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashley Goff and Shivanjali Sewak are prosecuting the defendants. 

Anyone with information relevant to the investigation of Marion or his alleged co-conspirators is encouraged to contact the investigation team at techscam@fbi.gov.

Defendants - Case Number 25CR4061-TWR-01

Summary of charges

• Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1349,2326
• Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1956(h)
• Maximum penalty: 40 years in prison

Defendants - Case Number 25CR4061-TWR-01

Summary of charges

• Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1956(h)
• Maximum penalty: 20 years in prison

The following agencies participated in the arrest and search operations:

• Federal Bureau of Investigation
• San Diego Police Department
• San Diego County Sheriff's Office
• San Diego District Attorney’s Office
• Azusa Police Department
• Homeland Security Investigations

The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or information alleged in other court documents are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

FBI San Diego
Media Coordinator
(858) 320-1800 | SDPublicAffairs@fbi.gov

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

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