LUCKNOW What appeared to be an ordinary apartment in Omaxe R-2 residential complex at Sushant Golf City was allegedly operating as an organised international cyber fraud call centre that targeted US citizens through fake Microsoft support calls, forged government documents and psychological intimidation, stated the Lucknow Commissionerate Police.
Acting under the UP Police’s statewide anti-cybercrime drive, Operation Cy-Vajra, the crime branch and cyber crime police on Friday raided the apartment and arrested seven accused allegedly involved in running the illegal operation. Police seized eight laptops, nine mobile phones, internet routers, headsets and other electronic equipment used for internet-based calling and digital fraud.
Police said the syndicate used VoIP-based calling platforms, specialised software and high-speed internet to impersonate technical support executives before escalating calls to individuals posing as officials of US federal agencies, including the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), to convince victims that their identities, bank accounts or social security numbers had been linked to serious crimes.
“After receiving inputs, we searched multiple flats in which we found two where this organised cyber crime was operating,” said DCP (crime) Anil Kumar Yadav.
Investigators said the fraud began by infecting victims’ computers with malware that generated pop-up warnings displaying toll-free numbers controlled by the syndicate. When victims called seeking technical assistance, callers introduced themselves as support executives and claimed their computers or financial accounts had been compromised.
Once the victim trusted the caller, the conversation was transferred to another team impersonating cyber security officials and representatives of the US Federal Trade Commission. Victims were allegedly told that their identities had been misused in financial crimes and that they faced imminent arrest or legal action unless they cooperated immediately. To reinforce the deception, the accused allegedly emailed forged documents resembling official records making victims believe they were under a genuine federal investigation.
Police said the call centre functioned through a well-defined workflow in which employees handled different stages of the alleged fraud.
The dialer team established initial contact and convinced victims that their computers or financial identities had been compromised. After gaining access to victims’ computers using remote desktop applications such as TeamViewer and UltraViewer, the accused allegedly obtained financial information and persuaded victims to purchase Amazon and Walmart gift cards.
For larger amounts, victims were allegedly instructed to send parcels containing cash or gold to addresses provided within the United States through intermediaries described as ‘cashmen’, or arrange direct pickups.
Investigators said the organisation recruited employees from different states, particularly those with prior experience in business process outsourcing (BPO) companies and fluent English-speaking skills to communicate effectively with American citizens. The hiring was alike the one done in the syndicate operating from Summit Building. Police said no formal appointment letters or employment contracts were provided to staff, despite accommodation being arranged by the operators.
According to police, the syndicate deliberately avoided direct bank transfers. Instead, victims were allegedly asked to transfer money through gift cards, digital vouchers and cryptocurrency to conceal the source of funds and complicate the financial trail. Police said the digital evidence recovered during the raid would now be examined to identify other members of the network, financial transactions, email accounts, servers and technical collaborators operating behind the syndicate.
A case has been registered at the cyber crime police station under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act.
SIMILAR CRACKDOWNS
*The latest action comes amid UP Police’s statewide Op Cy-Vajra, under which 773 accused have been arrested, cyber fraud worth ₹1,158.70 crore detected and links to 7,989 complaints on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) traced.
*On July 2, Lucknow Police busted a fake US call centre operating from Summit Building in Vibhuti Khand, arresting 119 accused and seizing over 100 laptops, 177 mobile phones, VoIP systems and forged documents.
* On June 18, police arrested nine people, including four women, for running fake job call centres that duped job seekers using forged appointment letters.
