Police bust fake call centre in Bhubaneswar, 6 detained for international phishing scam

Bhubaneswar, Oct 16: A fake call centre operating in the Sunderpada area of Bhubaneswar was busted by the Cyber Crime Police on Wednesday. The raid, conducted early in the morning at Block A-205 of Kanchan Tower, led to the detention of six individuals involved in an international phishing racket targeting customers in the USA.

The raid was executed by a six-member team from the Cyber Police Station, Bhubaneswar, following verification on October 15. The accused were caught using laptops and mobile phones to make and receive fraudulent calls through Skype, primarily targeting U.S. residents.

The group engaged in phishing by sending mass emails impersonating customer service representatives from well-known antivirus companies like McAfee and Norton. These emails contained toll-free numbers such as +1-845-478-4236, which unsuspecting victims were instructed to call. Once connected, the calls were redirected via Skype and VoIP networks.

The accused gained remote access to the victims' systems under the pretext of providing technical support and eventually convinced them to transfer money through gift cards. The gift cards were converted into Indian currency through hawala networks, facilitating the fraudulent transactions.

Police confirmed that further investigations are underway to identify other potential collaborators and track the money trail. This operation is part of an ongoing effort to crack down on cyber fraud and ensure the safety of citizens from online scams.