Scammers cheat Americans out of billions of dollars. And many times, the people who lose money, sometimes everything, never report what happened.
But the FBI says when victims do come forward, their information is helping investigators shut down scam operations overseas and strengthen cooperation with law enforcement partners around the world.
According to the bureau, reports from victims across the United States, including some in Montgomery County, helped investigators trace scams to India and break up three call centers since 2024. One of those operations led to several arrests overseas.
“They are now shut down, and six alleged leaders of these call centers are under arrest,” said FBI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul.
According to Paul, the arrests happened through joint work with Indian authorities as reports from across the country were connected to the same operations targeting Americans.
The FBI says more countries are now working with agents in the United States because their own citizens are being targeted too. FBI Special Agent Jeremy Capello said increased cooperation is helping investigators make larger breakthroughs.
“They are being much more willing to partner with us through the international legal process,” Capello said.
That coordination, the FBI says, helped agents and Indian law enforcement close call centers involved in scams that targeted Americans in several states.
“We cannot do this without strong relationships, both locally and internationally,” Paul said.
The challenges ahead
While the FBI is seeing progress, bringing scammers to the United States to face charges can still be challenging. Capello said extradition depends heavily on how each country’s legal system works, so some countries cooperate more quickly than others.
“In India, there’s really no plea deals,” Capello said.
He said India’s courts are backed up and suspects can sit for years before having their day in court. What they’ve also noticed is, in some cases, the punishment overseas can be tougher than what a suspect would face if they were extradited to the United States.
“We’re in direct communication with our partners in India, with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, State’s Attorney’s Office, to understand and do the analysis of what would be the greatest outcome for the victims,” Capello said.
The FBI urges people to be cautious if they receive an unexpected call, email or text. Capello said they should avoid engaging with the sender and should report any losses immediately because quick reporting can sometimes help investigators recover money and build cases across borders.
The FBI says victims coming forward and continued cooperation with law enforcement around the world remain key to finding and shutting down more global scam operations.
Tips can be filed online.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
