The feds on Tuesday dismantled an Israeli boiler-room operation that conned elderly U.S. victims out of $25 million by telling them they'd won a sweepstakes lottery.
A dozen members of the international telemarketing ring were named in a three-count fraud indictment handed up yesterday in Manhattan Federal Court.
Prosecutors say ring members bought more than 185,000 names from U.S.-based brokers to find victims to dupe into turning over hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash to claim the prize.
"Despite sending substantial amounts of money to Israel, none of the victims received any money," the indictment says.
The scam operated between 2005 and 2009, and was taken down with the help of a law enforcement agent posing as a would-be sweepstakes winner.
Affluent victims were referred to "shooters" who, claiming to be lawyers, told them they'd have to turn over thousands of dollars as payment for taxes on the award.
Victims sent cashier's checks to a mail-forwarding business in Rockland County, which shipped the checks to Cyprus, officials said.
IF IT SOUNDS TO GOOD RUN;SOUNDS LIKE THE CHECK SCAM
FROM INTERNET CASH THIS CHECK 10000 AND SEND ME 2000
TWOWEEKS LATER THE BANK TELL YOU ITS NO GOOD
I remember when someone claming to be a credit card company called and said they got all my personal information from my bank. They wanted me to confirm the information, by giving them my social security number and birthday. I told them to **** off.
I'm glad they were shut down.
These people are simply some low down dirty DOGS!!!!!
Wow, I wonder if these U.S.-Based (Name List) Brokers should be penalized for selling their "wealthy U.S.A. elderly" name lists to outside-of-U.S.A. customers. If not, perhaps we should make that a law here in the U.S.A. I wonder if there will be any penalties.
I wonder if these Israelis stole money from their Jewish brethren who live or are citizens of the U.S.A.
I wonder if there will be any penalties to these Israelis.