Police have busted an international tech support scam operation alleged to have defrauded 330 elderly Canadian victims out of an estimated $500k, arresting an Ontario man accused of masterminding the operation.

Investigators from Peel Regional Police Cyber Support Services and the Fraud Bureau, with assistance from the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and U.S. law enforcement agencies, wrapped up a year-long investigation on Tuesday.

Jayant Bhatia, a 34-year-old man from Brampton, was charged for his alleged participation in a cyber-enabled fraud scheme that occurred between January 2020 and February 2022.

Bhatia is accused of tricking victims into believing their computers had been infected with a virus or malware, utilizing methods like spam calls and pop-up ads to interfere with victims' use of their devices and direct them to false call centre agents.

These victims, largely elderly Canadians, were then convinced by scammers posing as tech support agents to pay hundreds, and sometimes thousands of dollars for computer repairs. In other instances, victims were tricked into allowing these fake agents to remotely access their computers.

Bhatia has been charged with a list of offences, including unauthorized use of a computer, fraud over $5,000 and possession of property obtained by crime.

Victims were contacted primarily from businesses operating under the names A2Z Consultants Group Inc., QB Services and SSS Consultants.

While the targets were typically elderly Canadians, the scam operated out of three separate countries. Police say that, in addition to Brampton, the scam was operated out of New Dehli, India, and New York/New Jersey in the U.S.

Indian and U.S. authorities have also laid additional charges against alleged participants in the scam arrested in those countries.

"Police will investigate computer scams and fraudulent activities that jeopardize our community's personal information and digital well-being," said Detective Sergeant Matthew Hutchinson, Intelligence Services, Cyber Support and Digital Forensics.

"As the use of technology continues to evolve, so do the methods employed by online threat actors seeking to exploit unsuspecting individuals."

"Peel Regional Police recognizes the importance of a secure online environment for our community members," said Hutchison, adding that the force "remains committed in our efforts to combat computer scams and online fraud, and we encourage the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities."