In a major success, the country’s premier investigative agency, the CBI, said on Tuesday that it sent a “strong message to the world that with our sustained and collective effort, we can defeat trans-national organised cybercrime with such breakthroughs.”
The operation took several weeks to carry out and involved cooperation at the international level, the police said, resulting in the arrest of six central figures and the dismantling of two illegal call centers in India.
The malicious network used fake tech support scams to scam tens of Japanese users. The scammers impersonated employees of reputable software companies, and reached out to victims through phone calls or pop-up messages, claiming that the victims’ computers had viruses or were otherwise compromised by critical errors.
They would then bully victims into providing remote access to their devices and paying serious cash for bogus or nonexistent technical support services.
The (CBI) sources said the syndicate used sophisticated social engineering methods and technical tools for carrying out the fraudulent activities.
They would use Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services to redirect their calls and obscure their location, then take over their victims’ computers using remote access software. There are ongoing efforts to figure the extent of the fraud, and the actual amount of money that was stolen from Japanese users.
The operation required close cooperation with cybercrime units in Japan and other international law enforcement bodies. Information sharing plus teamwork were key in tracking the source of the cyberepisodes and determining who was responsible, Ron said. The CBI appreciates the extraordinary level of partnership and communication between all agencies involved.
Authorities stormed the illegal call centres, hidden in secret locations in India, and recovered many computers, mobile phones, and telling documents.
These are now being examined in order to get new evidence, as well as to find other suspects in relation to this network. The suspects charged in this case have been arrested on charges that include cyber fraud, identity theft and conspiracy.
This operation’s success makes clear that the Indian National Police’s dedication to international partnerships and collaboration have a direct bearing on the worldwide ills of cybercrime and victimization. The CBI once again pledged to continue to cooperate with international allies to make the internet a safer place for everyone.
They also have warned the public to continue to be on alert for tech support scams, and to be careful about responding to unsolicited contacts about their computer systems.
