Federal and Local Partners Announce Results of Joint Investigation and Warn of Costly Fraud Schemes Targeting Marylanders
Joint investigation leads to an international takedown and the arrests of foreign and domestic fraudsters responsible for stealing almost $50 million from Americans
February 2, 2026 - The FBI Baltimore Field Office (FBI), Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) and Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office (MCSAO) are announcing results of a collaborative partnership and joint investigation centering around multifaceted fraud schemes linked to government impersonation and tech support scams targeting Maryland residents, and hundreds of other victims across the country.
Through coordinated investigative efforts, law enforcement traced the scams reported by victims in Montgomery County, Maryland, to extensive international scam call center operations in India that had been targeting Americans since 2022. Those scam call centers were dismantled by India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in December 2025 leading to CBI arresting six Indian nationals who led the illegal criminal syndicates.
According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), approximately 660 people in the United States reported being victims of government impersonation and tech support scams since 2022 related to these scam call centers, with losses totaling $48,778,230. Here in Maryland, nearly two dozen complaints were filed with financial losses totaling $6,257,869. Maryland victims reside all across the state from Baltimore, Kent, Montgomery, and Prince George’s Counties.
“We have FBI agents, police officers and attorneys in Montgomery County working together daily to combat fraud, but we can’t do this alone. We thank each one of the brave victims who reported these crimes to IC3,” said FBI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul. “Because of those reports, the FBI was able to work jointly with Indian authorities to help dismantle this massive criminal enterprise. Prevention and education remain our strongest tools against these threats. We urge Marylanders to know the warning signs of these devastating scams. It’s important to resist the urge to act immediately and verify who is actually contacting you.”
In Montgomery County, MCPD has arrested eight individuals on charges related to government impersonation and tech support scams since 2024 with MCSAO securing six convictions. Relatedly, investigators have tied three of the defendants arrested for targeting Montgomery County victims to the Indian scam call centers.
“Today’s announcement underscores what strong partnerships can accomplish when we work together across jurisdictions and across borders,” said Montgomery County Police Captain Marc Erme. “These scams exploit fear, trust, and vulnerability. We remain committed to protecting our residents – especially our seniors – and we will continue to pursue these criminals wherever the evidence leads.”
“We are proud of the leadership role Montgomery County has taken when it comes to government imposter and gold bar scams While anyone can potentially fall victim to these crimes, we are seeing people, often in their senior years, losing their life savings,” said Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy. “We are thankful to our partners at the Montgomery County Police Financial Crimes Section and FBI Baltimore Field Office who have been crucial in helping identify the call center in India that served as the hub for hundreds of these scams. While we continue to work together to identify perpetrators and hold them accountable, our effort to warn the public about ongoing threats of fraud remains a central part of our overall strategy to reduce the victimization of our residents. We encourage continued vigilance and a healthy skepticism of unsolicited pop-up ads, texts or phone calls.”
Be advised, law enforcement authorities or government officials will never contact members of the public by a pop-up on your computer or by telephone to demand any form of payment, or to request personal or sensitive information. Any legitimate investigation or legal action will be done in person or by official letter. Always ask for credentials to validate identity.
Scammers will often spoof authentic phone numbers and names and use fake credentials of well-known government and law enforcement agencies. Scammers will use an urgent and aggressive tone, refusing to speak to or leave a message with anyone other than their targeted victim; and will urge victims not to tell anyone else, including family, friends, or financial institutions, about what is occurring.
Scam tactics continually change but often share many of the same characteristics. They may claim your personal information has been compromised and to contact the agency immediately or that the victim’s identity was allegedly used in a crime, such as a drug deal or money laundering. The victim is asked to verify their identity, including social security number and date of birth. The victim is threatened with arrest, prosecution, or imprisonment if they do not pay to remove charges or assist in the investigation against the “real” criminals.
Law enforcement and government agencies will never:
- Call or email private citizens to demand payment or threaten arrest.
- Ask you to hand over large sums of your own money for “safekeeping” or to help catch a criminal.
- Ask you for wire transfers, cryptocurrency or gift cards.
To avoid becoming a victim of this scam, be wary of answering phone calls from numbers you do not recognize. Do not send money to anybody that you do not personally know and trust. Never give out your personal information, including your Social Security number, over the phone or to individuals you do not know.
If you think you are a victim of this scam and suffered a financial loss, please file a report with your local law enforcement agency and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at ic3.gov.
All types of fraud schemes and scams (even if there is no financial loss) should be reported to IC3. Filing a complaint allows analysts from the FBI to identify leads and patterns from the hundreds of complaints that are received daily. The IC3 then refers the complaints, along with their analyses, to the relevant law enforcement agency to aid in public awareness and crime-prevention education efforts.
FBI IC3 Resources
- 2024 Maryland Annual Report
- FBI Warns of the Impersonation of Law Enforcement and Government Officials Public Service Announcement
- Tech Support Fraud Public Service Announcement
FBI Baltimore
FBI Baltimore Press Office
BaltimoreMedia@fbi.gov
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
