Gurugram: Fake call center which swindled thousands of dollars busted
What's the story
Gurugram Police has busted yet another call center scam operating from the heart of the city, and arrested three people running the racket.
The scammers are suspected of having swindled thousands of dollars in a few months by threatening Americans for evading taxes.
Police suspect the involvement of many others; the alleged mastermind is also yet to be caught.
Here's how they duped Americans.
MO
How did the callers dupe people?
The suspects used to call up US citizens and say they are from American agencies, like the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
They would tell the target that they are being investigated for tax evasion.
When the target would fret, they would ask them to transfer money online or in some other way to avoid punishment.
Information
Scammers operated racket with office, 'trained professionals' and website
For operations, the scammers had set up an office in Info City 2, Sector 33. Employees, mostly young boys and girls, were meticulously selected and accent-trained. They also made a website for their "end-to-end IT services consultancy," which listed giant corporates as clients.
Action
Hunt for more suspects on
They ran the scam for eight months till locals tipped off police, who raided the place Monday.
All the three arrested are engineering graduates.
The 40 employees present during the raid were detained, but let go after questioning. Devices were seized.
More suspects have been identified, who are yet to be nabbed.
They have been booked for cheating by impersonation, among others.
Racket
Indian call center scammers often victims of scams themselves
Such scams thrive in India, where the number of jobseekers is very high but jobs, alarmingly low.
They lure youths by promising them employment with reputed brands.
When employees eventually realize they have been cheated, many continue to be involved in desperation for income.
The MO is similar: foreign citizens are targeted, threatened on behalf of American agencies and forced to pay up.