- विज्ञापन -
Chandigarh: In a major crackdown on immigration fraud, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday raided several fake immigration and software companies operating from Chandigarh’s Sector 22C, 34A, and 44C. Among those raided were Red Leaf, Infowiz Software Solutions, and others allegedly involved in defrauding foreign nationals and Indian youth under the guise of overseas education and technical support.
According to ED officials, these companies were sending Indian youth abroad on student visas using forged documents. During the raids, several incriminating documents and digital records were seized, revealing a sophisticated international scam.
Investigations uncovered that these firms had established shell companies abroad, particularly in the United States, to collect money from foreign nationals through fake payment gateways. The funds were then funneled back to India either through formal banking channels or illegal hawala networks.
One of the companies exposed during the raids was operating under the name FSAL Technology. The company was found hosting its website on the same server as “geeksworldwidesolutions.com” – a fake technical support website modeled after Geek Squad, a well-known U.S. tech service provider.
The fake website mimicked the branding and services of Geek Squad to scam unsuspecting foreign customers by offering bogus tech support. Victims, primarily U.S. citizens, were duped into making payments for non-existent services.
ED sources say this operation had been running for several years, with key suspects using U.S. company names to gain the trust of foreign clients and launder proceeds of crime back to India.
The agency is continuing its probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), and more arrests and seizures are expected in the coming days as digital forensics and bank transactions are further analyzed.
This case underscores a growing trend of cross-border cyber and immigration fraud originating from India.
