Indian police dismantle fake call centres targeting US victims

Indian law enforcement agencies have dismantled two separate fake call centre operations targeting citizens in the United States through tech-support scams.

In Delhi, the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit raided a facility in Pitampura, arresting eleven individuals. The syndicate allegedly defrauded American victims of approximately Rs 100 crore by using malware to gain remote access to computers. Victims were prompted by fraudulent pop-up messages to call a toll-free number, after which operators impersonated technical support staff and bank officials to solicit payments via gift cards and other methods. Police seized Rs 41 lakh in cash, 29 laptops, 25 mobile phones, and an SUV.

In Goa, cyber crime police raided a villa in Bambolim, arresting ten people. This group allegedly impersonated Apple Support Centre personnel, using spoofed US telephone numbers and VoIP services. Victims were deceived by pop-up messages claiming their iOS/iCloud accounts or Apple devices were compromised. The suspects reportedly induced victims to make payments through gift cards, Zelle, PayPal, and USDT. Authorities seized nine laptops, nine cellphones, and various networking equipment.