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www.newsindiatimes.com – that’s all you need to know Community News India Times (March 8, 2025 - March 14, 2025) March 14, 2025 10 Dozens Of Canadians Accused In $21 Million ‘Grandparent Scam’ Across U.S. T wenty-five Canadians have been charged with being part of a scheme to defraud hundreds of seniors across the United States, according to U.S. federal prosecutors. Of the 25 defendants named in an indictment unsealed Tuesday, 23 were arrested in Canada on Tuesday over their alleged involvement in the $21 million scam that targeted people in 46 states, the U.S. attorney’s office for the District of Vermont said in a statement. Prosecutors described the alleged scheme as a “grand- parent scam.” Between the summer of 2021 and June 4, 2024, the indictment said, the defen- dants deceived people into thinking that a relative – typically a grandchild – had been arrested after a car crash and needed money to post bail. The defendants were involved in “a transnational criminal enterprise with the sole intent of defrauding hundreds of retirees of their life savings by preying on their emotions and deceiving them into thinking that their loved ones were in per- il,” Thomas Demeo, acting special agent in charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation’s Boston field office, said in a statement. Prosecutors accused the defendants of conspiring to defraud the victims “by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises” and in violation of U.S. wire fraud laws. It was not immediately clear whether the defendants have lawyers. The Office of the Federal Public Defender for the District of Vermont and the U.S. attorney’s office for the District of Vermont did not immediately respond to requests for com- ment earlyWednesday. Under the alleged scheme, scammers working in call centers in and around Montreal typically called elderly individu- als and pretended to be a relative who had been arrested. In many cases, the indict- ment said, they told their victims that there was a “gag order” in place and they could not tell anyone about their relative’s arrest. The call was allegedly then passed to another individual, who was introduced as a lawyer for the victim’s relative. If the victim agreed to provide cash, a person posing as a bail bondsman would come to their home to collect the money, which was then sent to Canada via finan- cial transactions, often including crypto- currency, that concealed the source of the money, the indictment said. In other cas- es, co-conspirators picked up money that the victims either sent using ride-hailing apps or mailed to vacant residences in the United States, where it was less likely to be intercepted, the prosecutors said. To make the calls seem genuine, the indictment said, the defendants used an internet telephone provider that made it appear as though their calls were coming from inside the United States, and had access to personal information of elderly people in the United States, including their name, age, contact details and esti- mated household income. It was not immediately clear how much scammers allegedly took from each of the victims. In some cases, the call- ers told the victims that the bail amount had increased in an attempt to obtain more money from them – a process that members of the group called “re-loads.” Members of the group also referred to a victim who gave them substantial sums of money as a “whale.” If convicted, 20 of the defendants face up to 20 years in prison, while five others face up to 40, the prosecutors’ statement said. Those five – GarethWest, Usman Khalid, Andrew Tatto, Stephan Moskwyn and Ricky Ylimaki – were accused of man- aging the network of call centers in and around Montreal, from where the phone calls to the victims were made, and face an additional charge of money laundering conspiracy. West and another defendant, Jimmy Ylimaki, were at large. According to the prosecutors’ state- ment, law enforcement officers found 20 of the defendants “in the act of placing phone calls to elderly victims in Virginia” while carrying out searches at several call centers in Canada in June 2024. The officers also discovered one defendant in his truck “with numerous cell phones and lists of elderly individuals in multiple states,” the statement said. Scams targeting senior citizens have long been an issue in the United States and around the world, and technology has made impostor scams increasingly easier. In some cases, perpetrators are now using artificial intelligence to impersonate the voices of victims’ family members and convince them to give their money. -TheWashington Post Victoria Bisset P aterson, New Jersey-based nonprofit organization, World Vegan Vision (WVV), celebrated the anniversary of its Gujarat Chapter in Ahmedabad recently with a Vegan Awareness Day filled with inspiring and informative talks, get-togethers and a vegan food. The day’s events began with an engaging and enlightening talk about veganism organized at Gujarat Law Society’s H.A. Commerce Col- lege. The event attended by a large number of speakers, participants and invited guests, was coordinated by Nitin Vyas, Global Public Rela- tions Director ofWorld Vegan Vision USA and Dilip Thakkar, President of the Gujarat Chapter. Also present at the event were Dr. Sanjay Vakil, the Principal of H.A. College, and Dharti Thakkar, the newly elected President of the Gujarat Chapter, and Dr. Khushbu Shah, member of theWVV Advisory Board. Speakers related their own experiences in their journey to veganism. There were interactive sessions to discuss ways to in- crease awareness on veganism, and on the three fold benefits of veganism which include health, environmental sustainability and animal welfare. Vegan snacks and savo- ries along with a vegan cake, desserts and drinks were served at the end of the talk including healthy versions of traditionally rich Gujarati food such as dhokla, gol papdi, kahwa, a vegan organge flavored cake, fruit based jam, crackers and biscuits, and multi-flavored vegan ice cream. The vegan food was provided by Gopi restaurant in Prahlad Nagar, Purvi’s Rasoi, and Maulik and Megha caterers, according to an Instagram post by @sanganipooja. A talk on veganism was also organized the same day in the afternoon at the Ahmedabad Medical Association’s (AMA) LadiesWing. The AMA LadiesWing was founded in 1966 and has been empowering women since. Speak- ers included Rajni Maheshwari, Shushilaji, and Vimala Ben Trivedi. Participants enjoyed a delightful vegan food competition and tasting session celebrating the pleasures of plant-based cuisine. The third and final event of the day was a vegan dinner along with a Meet & Greet where a large gathering of veganism experts and activ- ists exchanged ideas. Besides the officials of the Gujarat Chapter ofWorld Vegan Vision Shah and Thakkar, participants also included Ramesh Tanna of Positive Media. In November 2024, Ahmedabad was awarded the most vegan friendly Indian city of 2024 by People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), India. Ahmedabad has a flourishing vegan community with various plant based and vegan food options available at popular restaurants including The Vegan Kitchen, Satvegan Café and cloud kitchens Jaco’s Vegan Hangout and Killos by Krrishna Patel. Ahmedabadis love their vegan desserts includ- ing Keventers Frozen Vegan Dark Chocolate and Plataway’s Vegan Gelato. People in Ahmedabad are also learning to cook tradi- tional Gujarati dishes without the use of dairy. Ahmedabad has many vegan organizations and associations which bring more awareness about veganism to its residents. These include the Vegan Club of Ahmedabad and Vadodara and many vegetarian restaurants like the Vegan Kitchen. WVV has expanded to include chapters in Ohio, Mum- bai and Ahmedabad, and reaches out through its various activities and newsletter. Formed in 1992 by H.K. and Malti Shah to promote vegetarianism, it has become an important information source on veganism. Tristate-Based World Vegan Vision Celebrates Gujarat Chapter Anniversary By Archana Adalja PHOTOS:WorldVeganVision A section of the audience at the World Vegan Vision event celebrating the Gujarat chapter in Ahmedabad, held recently in February. Main organizers and attendees at the WVV event in Ahmedabad, Gujarat pose for photos. Main speaker being felicitated with a bouquet.