Action 9 confronts man involved in international computer scam

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Prosecutors said Bishap Mittal was part of an international scam.

They said the scammers would place fake pop-up ads on people's computers, ads convincing them they had a problem and prompting them to call a number. Prosecutors said that number went to a call center in India, where other scammers would lie to victims, telling them their computers had malware and viruses when they didn't, and then charge victims anywhere from $200 to $2,400 to fix the made-up problem.

Prosecutors said the company behind this was headquartered in Charlotte and that hundreds of victims across the country lost more than $3 million combined.

Mittal pleaded guilty to conspiracy in March. There was a technical issue, so he pleaded guilty again Thursday. His next step is sentencing. He faces up to five years behind bars.

Action 9's Jason Stoogenke tried to ask Mittal about the case, but Mittal wouldn't comment. Stoogenke said, "I spend my whole job trying to warn people [about] scams like this and here you are, on the other side, ripping people off.  I mean, hundreds of people, millions of dollars." Mittal's lawyer interjected, "I understand, guys. We're not going to comment while the case is going on."

Watch out for any tech support scam:

If someone contacts you out of the blue and says you have malware or a virus, don't fall for it.

Don't let them access your computer remotely, even if they say they're from Apple or Microsoft.

Cox Media Group