Noida Police Busts Two Fake Call Centers, Arrests 43 for Scamming US Citizens

In a major crackdown, Noida Police uncovered two fake call centers involved in defrauding US citizens and arrested 43 people, including nine women. The police recovered 66 laptops, 13 mobile phones, and fake documents from the suspects. The operations were being run from two locations in Noida’s Phase 3 and Sector 63 areas.

Fake Call Center in Sector 63 Uncovered

According to Central Noida DCP Shakti Mohan Avasthi, a fake call center operating in Sector 63 was uncovered by the Sector 63 police station. This gang was involved in manipulating foreign citizens' computer systems by sending pop-up messages and gaining access to their bank details, defrauding them of millions of rupees. The police arrested five women and 14 men from B-87 H Block, Sector 63. Recovered items include 38 laptops, chargers, routers, headsets, and fake documents, including a forged document from the Federal Reserve System.

 

How the Gang Operated

The arrested individuals revealed that they targeted foreign nationals by sending bugs to their computer systems, disrupting their functionality. Once the system was compromised, the gang would send pop-up messages, prompting the victims to contact them. Using IVR calling, they would gain control over the victims’ computers via remote access software such as TeamViewer, AnyDesk, and UltraViewer. The gang then acquired the victims' bank details and persuaded them to transfer funds into Bitcoin or cryptocurrency wallets, using fake Federal Reserve documents for further deception.

Sophisticated Software for Scams

The gang used various software tools to defraud their victims. They convinced foreign citizens to transfer money through gift cards or cryptocurrencies, scaring them with fake charges related to Social Security numbers. The fraudsters would then contact the victims again using apps like TextNow and Line2 if the call was disconnected. After the scam, the data from these apps would be deleted. The entire operation was controlled by a man named Sagar Sharma, who provided the IP addresses for daily logins via the VICIdial software.

Microsoft-Certified Cyber Expert Scam in Sector 64

In a separate raid, the police uncovered another fake call center in Sector 64, run by scammers who posed as Microsoft-certified cyber experts. A total of 24 individuals were arrested at this location. The scammers sent emails to US citizens, falsely claiming to be cyber experts and US Marshals. They used fake US Marshal IDs and engaged in fraud by convincing their victims to provide payments through gift cards and cryptocurrencies.

Sophisticated Fraud Network

The arrested individuals revealed that they sent fraudulent emails from different accounts and used fake electronic documents. They created fake IDs and transferred calls to "closer" agents when the victim showed interest. These closer agents would convince the victims to transfer money in the form of gift cards and cryptocurrencies, which were later converted into cash through hawala networks.