Two fake call centres duping US citizens busted in Mohali, 155 held
Chandigarh, May 17
The Cybercrime Division of the Punjab Police has busted two fake call centres running in Mohali and arrested 155 employees of these centres for making fraudulent calls to people living in the US and duping them, said Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav on Friday.
The police said both centres located at Mohali were being run by Gujarat-based kingpins.
The DGP said preliminary investigations revealed the fake call centres were operating during the night and callers were using three different modus operandi to dupe foreign nationals.
Modus operandi
- Payday Fraud: The caller from the fake call centre targeted people in the US by providing low-interest loans even if their credit score was low. The customers were exploited by the fraudsters by making them buy gift cards in the hope of a loan, which was immediately redeemed by the kingpin.
- Amazon fraud: The caller, pretending to be an Amazon representative, threatened the customer that a parcel ordered by them had illegal items and that federal police would be informed. To cancel the order, a specific amount was obtained through a cash app or via an Amazon gift card within a time period with a threat that the information would be shared with the federal police.
- Microsoft Scam: The targeted people would get a pop-up on their computers with a message that the system was compromised and would provided with a number to make a call on. Thereafter, the person would get a link to download an app that allowed screen viewing. Thereafter, money from the bank accounts was fraudulently transferred to mule accounts in the US and received in India through hawala.
The DGP said after zeroing in on the locations, teams raided both centres on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday and arrested 155 employees who were working as diallers, closers, bankers and floor managers.
A police official said 79 desktop computer units, 204 laptops, mobile phones and other accessories, besides scripts for training to talk to customers, have been recovered. They said of the 155 employees arrested, 18 were taken on police remand, and the rest were sent to judicial remand.
A case under Sections 419, 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120B of the IPC and Sections 66C and 66D of the IT Act has been registered.
