Kerala Police have dismantled a fake US call centre in Thiruvananthapuram and arrested 10 people suspected of running a sophisticated international scam that allegedly cheated foreign nationals of several crores of rupees. Another case of cybercriminals using fake technical support services and impersonation tactics to target victims overseas while operating from India.
According to police officials, the raid was conducted based on intelligence inputs and technical surveillance that an illegal call centre was operating from a commercial building in Thiruvananthapuram. Investigators found employees calling people in the United States while falsely posing as representatives of tech companies, banks, or customer service companies.
Police said the suspects called victims using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology, which allowed them to display international phone numbers and appear as if they were calling from legitimate organisations in the U.S., and they were able to gain the trust of unsuspecting victims before urging them to share sensitive financial information or transfer money under false pretenses.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the accused told victims that their computers had been infected with malware, their bank accounts were compromised, and their software subscriptions needed urgent renewal. Victims were then advised to install remote access software to gain access to their computers. Once access was gained, the suspects allegedly manipulated online banking and asked clients to pay for fake technical support services or to send their money to the syndicate accounts.
The scam might have generated multi-crore profits; however, the exact amount involved is still being assessed, they said. They said investigators were examining financial records, bank transactions, cryptocurrency wallets, payment gateways, and digital communication systems to establish the full scale of the operation. It could have been going on for a considerable period and possibly targeted hundreds of victims across different countries, they said.
During the raid, police seized computers, laptops, mobile phones, headsets, hard drives, networking equipment, customer databases, call scripts, internet routers, and other digital evidence that may have been used in the alleged fraud. Forensic experts will now be analyzing the seized devices to recover deleted files, communication records, and financial transactions for additional members of the network, they said.
As the investigation continues, the arrested individuals are being questioned to identify their roles within the organization. “We’re trying to find out who is recruiting employees, managing finances, obtaining victim databases, operating payment channels, and supervising the fraudulent calling operations. Police have not ruled out the possibility of more arrests as it goes on,” the report said.
Cybercrime investigators believe that the syndicate could have been part of an international network of criminal networks in many countries, and the syndicate might have been part of a much larger international network, with hackers from across the world. Central investigators are working with central investigative agencies and international law enforcement agencies in the investigation to see if similar complaints have been filed elsewhere and whether the arrested persons have ties to other cyber fraud cases.
The case shows the ever-growing sophistication of global cybercrime operations in which organised groups leverage technology to trick victims across borders. Fake technical support scams are still the most common form of online fraud around the world. Cybercriminals impersonate trusted companies, create a sense of urgency, and manipulate victims into making payments or revealing confidential information.
Experts in cybersecurity suggest that users be careful when receiving calls from banks, software companies, government agencies, or customer support organizations. In reality, legitimate organisations do not ask customers to install remote access apps, disclose passwords, share one-time passwords (OTPs), or transfer money to solve technical problems. People should check customer support numbers on their own websites before answering suspicious calls.
Officials also advised businesses in the service of business process outsourcing (BPO) and customer service centres to operate in compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. Proper employee records, transparent operations, and regular audits can prevent legitimate business infrastructure from being abused for fraud.
Police will be looking at all aspects of the scam, police said. They are looking for more victims, tracing the money, and recovering assets obtained through fraudulent methods.
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