Fake call centre targeting Americans busted in Lucknow; seven arrested

Lucknow, Jul 17 (PTI) A fraud call centre allegedly targeting United States citizens from a high-rise apartment in a posh Lucknow neighbourhood was busted on Friday, with seven people arrested and a large quantity of electronic devices seized, police said. The Crime Branch had earlier busted a call centre operating from the Summit Building in Gomti Nagar area of the capital on July 1 and arrested 119 people in one of its biggest crackdowns on cybercriminals. The fresh illegal call centre was being operated from an apartment in the Omaxe R-2 Residential Complex in Gomti Nagar Extension, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Anil Yadav said at a press conference. The Lucknow Police Crime Branch executed the action as part of 'Operation Cy-Vajra', a statewide anti-cyber crime campaign, he said. "The accused were running an organised international cyber fraud racket using internet-based calling platforms and other technological tools to target foreign nationals, particularly citizens of the United States," Yadav said. He said seven accused were arrested, and a case was registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act. According to the DCP, the gang allegedly used Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calling systems, specialised calling software, laptops, iPhones and high-speed internet to contact victims. The accused would first infect victims' computers with malware that generated pop-up messages displaying toll-free numbers. When victims called those numbers, they were allegedly impersonated by fraudsters posing as Microsoft technical support executives and cyber security professionals, he said. "They would falsely claim that the victim's bank account, digital wallet or identity had been compromised. Once the victim was frightened, the call was escalated to another member of the gang posing as an official of the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), who threatened legal action or arrest unless the victim followed their instructions," Yadav said. To make the fraud appear genuine, the gang allegedly e-mailed forged documents resembling official records, including fake FTC letters, identity theft reports, investigation reports and non-disclosure agreements, he added. Police said the accused also gained remote access to victims' computers using software such as TeamViewer and UltraViewer before obtaining their financial details. Victims were allegedly persuaded to purchase Amazon and Walmart gift cards, while those targeted for larger amounts were allegedly made to send cash or gold through courier services to addresses in the US. During the raid, police seized eight laptops, nine mobile phones, nine headsets, four Wi-Fi routers, two computer mice, laptop chargers and other digital evidence. Yadav said the recovered electronic devices and digital evidence were being forensically examined to identify other members of the network, financial beneficiaries and possible interstate and international links. PTI KIS SMV APL PRK