Clifton man charged in $13M scam that targeted elderly, small business owners
A Clifton man has been charged in connection with a $13 million scam that went after the elderly and small business owners, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Manoj Yadav, 40, who also resided in Jersey City, was arrested on Thursday and charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his alleged part in a technical support scam that targeted more than 7,000 victims nationwide, according to Sellinger.
“The defendant and his conspirators are alleged to have misled their numerous victims into thinking that they were a legitimate technology support company affiliated with a major software company,” Sellinger stated in a release. “After claiming to provide technical support for issues involving the software company’s popular accounting software, they allegedly charged the victims exorbitant fees for purported support services that were not authorized by the software company.”
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Authorities claim that, from 2017 to 2023, Yadav and his conspirators, many located in India, pretended to be a technology support company affiliated with a major U.S. business and accounting software company. The company would contact victims on the phone to fix technical issues with the accounting software and then charge exorbitant fees or additional subscription fees. One elderly victim was scammed out of $9,010, according to court documents.
The U.S Attorney accuses Yadav of sending the co-conspirators over $13 million and keeping 17% of the funds. Authorities say Yadav acquired the funds through his company, Phebs Software Services, LLC.
The company went by many names, including Phebs Software Services, PN Bookkeeping Services, Phebbs Consulting, Quickbooks Tech Assist, Quickbook US, Quickbooks Accounting, and Quickbooks Support Team.
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“We allege Yadav lied to software users and forced them to pay for services that would usually come free with their initial purchase,” FBI Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy said. “The amount he's accused of stealing from his victims and the number of victims seem shocking; however, we are seeing an incredible increase in all types of tech support scams.
"The fraudsters are pretty savvy in how they con money out of people, even those of us who think we’re smart enough to not fall for it," Dennehy said. "If you think you’re a victim, please reach out to the FBI.”
If convicted, Yadav is facing a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and fines.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Clifton NJ man charged in scam that targeted elderly, small biz
