A Charlotte man will spend the next three decades in federal prison for his role in a years-long tech-support fraud that used fake pop-ups and overseas call centers to squeeze money from victims across the country. Two other men tied to the operation also received prison terms, and a federal judge ordered millions in payback to those who were duped.
Nachiket Banwari of Charlotte drew the toughest sentence: 30 years behind bars. Co-defendant Hunter Mello of Massachusetts was sentenced to 40 months and Richard Nolan of Colorado to 24 months. All three were ordered to serve three years of supervised release after prison and to pay a combined restitution total of about $3,711,000, according to WBTV.
How The Scam Worked
Federal prosecutors say the scheme leaned on malicious internet pop-ups that froze victims' screens and flashed dire warnings, telling people to call a toll-free number for immediate technical help. When people dialed in, the calls were routed to call centers in India, where operators claimed to be Microsoft technicians and charged fees for bogus or unnecessary "repairs," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of North Carolina in a 2023 release.
Court documents and the indictment say the operation hid behind multiple business aliases and ultimately defrauded thousands of victims out of roughly $7 million.
Defendant's Role And Local Ties
Reporting on the sentencing notes that Banwari worked for Capstone Technologies, a Charlotte-based company that prosecutors say controlled the pop-ups and ran victims' payments through several corporate names and payment processors. Some victims paid anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars for services they did not need, and court filings show calls were funneled to overseas call centers, according to court documents cited by WBTV.
Charges And Legal Notes
Banwari was indicted in April 2023 on charges that include conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and money laundering, according to the Justice Department's announcement of the case. The indictment alleges he agreed to obtain payment-processing services in his own name to accept victim payments and move proceeds to accounts in India. It also includes a notice of forfeiture and the government's plan to pursue money judgments.
Prosecutors say investigations into other co-conspirators and related entities have continued as federal authorities worked the transnational angles of the scheme.
How To Avoid Tech Support Scams
Consumer authorities warn that legitimate tech companies do not use urgent pop-ups on your screen ordering you to call a number, and that you should never give remote access to someone who contacts you out of the blue. The Federal Trade Commission's consumer guidance explains how to spot these scams, what to do if you were scammed, and how to report incidents at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. See the Federal Trade Commission for details.
