A man from Edison pleaded guilty for taking part in an international computer scam which conned 83 senior citizens out of cash totaling $25,000.
Mohammed Alam, 25, of Edison, pleaded guilty during a hearing on Jan. 7 to third degree theft of moveable property. Under a plea agreement reached with Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Russell Curley, Alam will be sentenced to a term of probation and must pay full restitution to his victims in the amount of $25,000, according to information provided by Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey.
Alam conspired with parties from a call center in India that used his Edison-based company, Infusion Micro, LLC to accept payments from unsuspecting victims.
The scam was initially uncovered by Detective Sergeant Aaron Wojtkowski of the Newbury Police Department, in Massachusetts, when a Newbury resident reported she had been contacted by someone on behalf of Microsoft, according to the statement. The caller claimed the elderly victim had a problem with her computer and for a fee they could fix the problem remotely.
The investigation found that between Aug. 1, 2015, to Jan. 1, 2018, the scam cheated residents living in Massachusetts, as well as residents in Arizona, Colorado, North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia according to the statement.
The case was referred to the Edison Police Department when Newbury Police traced the payment to the Edison based company, Infusion Micro, LLC, which was owned by the defendant.
Alam was charged by Detective Leslie Yackel of the Edison Police Department on June 12, 2018, with theft by deception in the third degree.
People who receive phone calls seeking money should verify the legitimacy of the call by contacting the police, the actual company or by having a friend or relative verify the caller’s information.
Alam is scheduled to be sentenced in New Brunswick by Superior Court Judge Benjamin Bucca on March 8.