How Indian-American Moinuddin Mohammed from Austin Defrauded Senior Citizens in a $6 Million Scam

Key Points:

The United States is home to the world’s largest Indian diaspora. This is the nation where many Indian-origin individuals hold key positions in major global companies, making both countries proud. However, among this diaspora is Moinuddin Mohammed, a 34-year-old Indian national living in Austin, Texas who in February 2025, was sentenced by a federal court in Austin to 97 months in prison for his involvement in a money laundering conspiracy.

Court records indicate that Moinuddin Mohammed participated in a scheme to launder funds obtained by defrauding elderly victims of substantial amounts of cash and gold. One such victim was a woman named Mabel. The FBI uncovered the courier’s connection to an Indian call center scam targeting elderly Americans. Former FBI agent Tom Simon, now a private investigator in Florida, discussed the case and explained Mabel’s story and how she suffered at the hands of the fraudsters.

He said Mabel one day received a call from a man. The man identified himself as a representative of the U.S. Department of Justice. The woman was surprised and alarmed. She asked the officer, “Yes, sir, what can I do for you?” The caller told her that her bank account had been compromised by scammers and that, to protect her money, she needed to withdraw her entire bank balance in cash. He assured her that he would help her open a new, secure account before she lost any money.

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Terrified but grateful, Mabel thanked the man, saying she had read about people who could hack into bank accounts before. Trusting the caller, she believed she was doing the right thing. Over the course of several days, she withdrew $150,000 in cash from her bank, following the caller’s directions not to disclose the reason for the withdrawals so the “investigation” would not be compromised. Feeling like she was helping the government, Mabel believed she was part of an important operation. Once she had the cash, a man posing as a government official came to her home, took the money “to keep it safe,” and disappeared. She never heard from him again.

The case eventually reached the FBI’s Texas office, where agents began tracing the fraud. The investigation revealed that the operation originated from a call center in India, with cumulative proven losses of around $6 million. However, the FBI faced a key question — who was the “government man” who went to the victims’ homes to collect the money?

The case agent focused on this lead, analyzing cell phone records, surveillance footage, and other digital evidence, eventually identifying Moinuddin Mohammed, an Indian citizen legally living in Austin, Texas. He was arrested as part of the wire fraud conspiracy. Investigators discovered that Mohammed communicated directly with several victims. During photo lineups, victims such as Ethel identified him, stating, “Number two is the government man who came to my house.”

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The investigation connected Mohammed to $900,000 in stolen funds that he personally picked up from elderly victims in Texas. He retained 10 to 15 percent of the money as his commission while forwarding the remaining amount to his superiors at the call center in India.

Court documents further revealed that multiple victims were contacted by individuals impersonating high-ranking U.S. officials, including someone claiming to be the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas. Victims were falsely told that they were under federal investigation or at risk of financial loss and were instructed to hand over cash, gold, or other assets to resolve their situation. One victim lost more than $300,000, another approximately $151,500, and a third about $470,000, contributing to nationwide losses totaling nearly $6 million.

In addition to his 97-month prison sentence, Mohammed was ordered to pay restitution of approximately $960,000, forfeit $20,000 in cash seized by investigators, and forfeit a money judgment of $16,000. [Rh/VP]

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