Fake FBI Threats, Gift Cards: Delhi Call Centre Duped US Victims Of Rs 100 Crore

The Delhi Police has busted an illegal international call centre in Pitampura that allegedly cheated victims in the US of around Rs 100 crore through a tech-support scam, arresting 11 people, officials said on Thursday.

The accused also allegedly intimidated victims by sending forged communications purportedly issued by the FBI and other US federal agencies.

The Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit raided the call centre operating from the third and fourth floors of a rented premises in Pitampura village, on September 21 and apprehended 11 people, they said.

Police seized Rs 41 lakh in cash, 29 laptops, 25 mobile phones, eight routers and an SUV from the premises.

A case was registered on September 22 under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act at the Special Cell police station, New Delhi.

According to police, the syndicate targeted victims in the US through a sophisticated tech-support fraud. Its members allegedly installed malware on victims' computers remotely, triggering pop-ups directing them to a toll-free number for technical assistance.

When victims called the number, their calls were routed to the Pitampura call centre through a soft-phone application. The call centre agents allegedly followed pre-defined scripts and posed as technical support staff, claiming that the victims' computers had been infected or compromised.

The victims were then allegedly induced to install a software which allows the fraudsters remote access to their computers. They were subsequently told that their bank accounts were also at risk and were transferred to another accused posing as a bank official, police said.

The alleged fake bankers contacted victims using US-based numbers through a voice application and induced them to purchase gift cards or transfer cryptocurrency on the pretext of resolving the technical or banking issue.

The gift card details were allegedly shared in online groups with key members of the syndicate and later redeemed or encashed elsewhere, police said.

In some cases, the accused allegedly intimidated victims by sending forged communications purportedly issued by the FBI and other US federal agencies to make the scam appear genuine and compel them to comply with their demands.

The accused allegedly used fake names such as Williams, Rayan, Sofi, Genny and Alex while communicating with the victims, police said.

The arrested accused have been identified as Kawal Preet Singh alias Sunny Singh (43), Prashant Nanda (29), Akshat Singh alias Shivam (25), Chitra Narah (27), Rohan Jairath (31), Gaurav Saklani (24), Sachin Ghildiyal alias Sachin Sharma (26), Irshad Rahman (22), Navneet alias Naveen (28), Nigthoujam (25) and Phebo Wangshu (27), police said.

The IFSO team had received information about the illegal call centre and conducted the raid following surveillance and intelligence gathering, they said.

Police said other key members of the syndicate based in India and abroad have been identified and efforts are underway to apprehend them. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)