Gurugram Police Expose Fraudulent Call Centre, 13 Arrested

Synopsis

The Gurugram Police's cybercrime unit has uncovered a fraudulent call centre that scammed Canadian nationals by falsely claiming to offer Microsoft technical support. Thirteen individuals were arrested during the operation, which revealed a complex scheme involving remote access to victim computers and theft of sensitive information.

Key Takeaways

Thirteen suspects arrested in Gurugram.
Call centre impersonated Microsoft for fraud.
Victims were lured into downloading malware.
Scammers promised refunds for gift cards.
Police seized laptops and mobile phones used in the scam.

Gurugram, March 22 (NationPress) The cybercrime unit (south) of the Gurugram Police has successfully dismantled a fraudulent call centre where con artists reportedly deceived Canadian citizens by impersonating Microsoft representatives to provide fake technical support, according to officials.

As per the police, they received a tip-off about a deceptive call centre operating in B-Block Sushant Lok Phase-3, Gurugram, on Friday. In response to this urgent information, a police team conducted a raid on the call centre in the Sushant Lok area. During the operation, it was confirmed that the call centre was running illegitimately and was involved in defrauding international clients by offering bogus technical assistance.

A total of 13 suspects were apprehended, including the call centre's team leader and two women. The individuals arrested were identified as Vishal Dubey, Shubham Dubey, Harshit Mishra, Ravi Kaushik, Saurabh Tanwar, Akshat Kundu, Ankit Chauhan, Akshay, Prince, Suraj, Devansh, Nishi Shukla, and Diti Shukla.

A case has been filed against the suspects under sections 318(4), 319 BNS, and the IT Act at the Cyber Crime South Police Station in Gurugram.

During questioning, it was revealed that the suspect Suraj is the leader of this call centre, and he operates the centre along with his colleagues under the guidance of another accomplice. Employees at the call centre were receiving a monthly salary of around Rs 30,000. The accused disclosed that this illicit operation had been active for the past month, duping foreign citizens by falsely claiming to offer customer support for Microsoft.

The fraudsters would send malware to victims' computers via pop-up ads featuring their toll-free number. When foreign nationals called this number, the call was directed to an application on the staff’s laptop. Upon answering, the agents falsely identified themselves as Microsoft representatives, claiming that the victims' sensitive information, including banking details, was at risk of being hacked. To resolve these fabricated issues, the agents gained remote access to the victims' computers by tricking them into downloading a screen-sharing application.

The culprits told the victims that their banking information was compromised and, to safeguard it, the agent would transfer the call to a supposed bank representative. Subsequently, another agent would answer the call, posing as an employee from the bank's headquarters, and charge victims between $300 to $500 under the pretense of checking their accounts. They also instructed victims to purchase gift cards for the same amounts, promising that the money would be refunded to their bank accounts. The gift card numbers were then sent to an accomplice for redemption.

The police have seized 12 laptops and three mobile phones used in connection with this scam from the arrested individuals. The suspects are set to appear in court for further proceedings.