A multinational fraud scheme that allegedly cost elderly Americans about $65 million relied on India-based scam call centres, fake identities and short-term rental properties to collect cash from victims, according to the US Department of Justice (DOJ). In an update published on October 26, prosecutors said the final defendants among 25 people arrested in the case had pleaded guilty, marking a significant development in an investigation that was also aided by YouTube creators who confronted suspected scammers on camera and shared footage with law enforcement.
The criminal network, which prosecutors said had operated since at least 2019 and was rooted in Southern California, targeted thousands of older Americans through elaborate refund and technical-support scams. In August 2025, federal agents carried out a coordinated nationwide operation, making arrests in California, New York, Texas and Michigan. The DOJ announced charges against 28 alleged members of the network, with 25 arrested during the operation.
The operation primarily involved Chinese nationals who allegedly worked with India-based call centres, according to court records. The government said the investigation involved the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations and the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation division, among other agencies. Three charged defendants remained fugitives as of the latest DOJ announcement.
The investigation began in December 2020 after an elderly victim contacted an express-mail carrier after being defrauded into sending cash through the post. The discovery led investigators to 11 packages containing approximately $135,000, all addressed to fictitious names at short-term rental properties in the San Diego area. In a June 2026 announcement, the DOJ said Wang admitted participating in the scheme from 2019 through 2023 and being responsible for more than 2,000 cash packages sent by elderly victims. Prosecutors attributed approximately $64 million in victim losses to his role.
Authorities subsequently uncovered a much larger alleged operation involving thousands of victims and millions of dollars in losses.
The latest DOJ announcement said Haotian Zhang and Zetian Zhang pleaded guilty in federal court on October 23, with the announcement issued three days later.
Prosecutors said the videos helped identify Zhiyi Zhang, Dudu Chen and Huajian Chen, while also providing insight into how the wider conspiracy operated. The investigation also highlighted how videos made by online scam hunters helped authorities identify people linked to the alleged conspiracy and understand how the network collected money from victims across the United States. The footage was one part of a broader investigation that relied on financial records, surveillance, interviews and evidence gathered by federal agencies. Other defendants had also entered guilty pleas in preceding months, including Hua Wang, whom prosecutors identified as a lead defendant.