A man who ran a tech-support fraud scheme from India was sentenced to more than six years in federal prison after prosecutors said senior citizens in the United States were tricked into sending money to scam-controlled accounts.
Kartik Saini, 33, was sentenced to six years and one month in federal prison by U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois.
Federal prosecutors said the scheme defrauded at least four victims and carried an intended loss of more than $1.2 million.
One Chicago victim lost more than $746,000, which prosecutors said represented a large portion of her retirement savings.
The Scam Used Fake Tech Support and Security Claims
Foreign National Sentenced to More Than Six Years in Federal Prison for Conducting “Tech Support” Fraud Scheme That Victimized Senior Citizens in United States @FBIChicago https://t.co/FLmdG1516m
— U.S. Attorney’s Office (NDIL) (@NDILnews) July 7, 2026
Prosecutors said Saini and his co-schemers contacted people in the United States while he was living in India in 2020 and 2021. The callers falsely claimed to be tech support or security employees for major companies, including Google, Apple, and Citibank.
Victims were told their computers had been hacked and that their bank accounts had been compromised. Prosecutors said Saini or one of his co-schemers convinced victims to transfer significant funds into different bank accounts.
The victims were told the companies would safely hold the money while law enforcement investigated the supposed cyber hack. The bank accounts were controlled by Saini and his co-schemers, and prosecutors said the money was stolen after victims moved it.
Prosecutors said Saini also convinced some victims to send cryptocurrency or gift cards to him or his co-schemers.
The Chicago Victim Lost a Large Portion of Her Retirement Savings
The most serious documented loss involved a Chicago resident who lost more than $746,000. Prosecutors said that amount represented a large portion of the victim’s retirement savings, turning the scam into a direct attack on money that had been built up over many years.
In a sentencing memorandum, prosecutors said the scheme caused significant financial loss and emotional trauma to victims.
Saini Was Arrested After Arriving From India
Saini was arrested on Aug. 26, 2024, at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York after arriving from India. He pleaded guilty in federal court in Chicago in March 2026 to wire fraud.
On June 25, Judge Blakey sentenced Saini to six years and one month in federal prison and ordered him to pay full restitution to the victims.
Real Tech Support Does Not Move Retirement Savings for Safekeeping
A real tech company, bank, or law enforcement agency will not tell a customer to move retirement savings into another bank account while a supposed hack is investigated. Microsoft says genuine Microsoft error messages never include a phone number to call, and people should not call a number displayed in an error message.
People who already sent money, cryptocurrency, or gift cards should contact their bank, card issuer, cryptocurrency platform, or gift card company immediately and ask whether the transaction can be stopped, frozen, reversed, or traced.
Useful records include pop-up screenshots, phone numbers, emails, remote-access tools, bank transfer records, crypto wallet addresses, gift card numbers, account statements, and any instructions the scammers gave. Tech-support scams can be reported to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov.