NEW DELHI: In a modest hall in Maywood, New Jersey, seniors, students, and families gathered to confront a growing menace that has quietly reshaped lives across the Indian American community -- scams that drain savings, shatter trust and, increasingly, pull young people into serious legal trouble.
The awareness event, held on Sunday afternoon, marked the public launch of 'Help Before Scam (HBS)', a community initiative founded by Anil Mangukia, aimed at stopping fraud before irreversible damage is done. “Scams do not steal the money. They steal the trust, they steal the peace of mind and the family stability, ” Mangukia told the audience, urging families to talk openly about scam tactics and warning signs.
In the last year alone, dozens of such cases have been reported from across the country, with Indian American senior citizens and young students from India becoming victims of such a scam, resulting in many of them losing their life savings or ending up in jail.