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More than 135 nabbed in probe into global telemarketing scams

More than 135 people have been arrested in an investigation of global telemarketing scams that have victimized 5 million people, many of them elderly, US Attorney General John Ashcroft said on Tuesday.

Schemes targeted in the yearlong investigation, dub-bed "Operation Roaming Charge," have cost victims an estimated US$1 billion.

Among them: a US$500 millionphone billing scam that involved members of the Gambino crime family in New York.

The probe also uncovered bogus lottery and sweepstakes scams, fake preapproved credit cards, offers of nonexistent investments, tax evasion scams and so-called recovery rooms in which people posing as law enforcers offered to help victims recoup their losses for a fee.

"Most often, these criminals target the elderly, the needy and the vulnerable," Ashcroft said at a news conference.

The investigation, which involved close cooperation with Canadian officials, focused on a growing trend in which fraudulent tele-marketers prey on US citizens from foreign countries. Thirty-five of those arrested were operating in foreign countries, and more than 100 suspects were arrested in the US.

"In today's world, telemarketing fraud schemes have become more sophisticated and international in scope," said Chris Swecker, assistant FBI director for the criminal investigative division.

About 70 people have been convicted on US and Canadian fraud charges dur-ing the investigation, which has involved 190 search warrants in the two countries. The Federal Trade Commission, Postal Inspection Service and other federal agencies have brought numerous civil complaints.
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