THE Delhi Police have 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 techsupport 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.