Mira-Bhayandar: The central crime unit (CCU) attached to the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police raided a fake call centre in Kashimira and arrested seven tele-callers including the kingpin who duped American citizens by impersonating customer service executives of one of the world’s largest online retailer and marketplace.
Acting on a tip-off, the police team raided a bungalow in the Hatkesh area of Kashimira on Sunday. While seven callers including the kingpin identified as- Shahrukh Shaikh (30) were arrested, the police team seized four laptops, five mobile phones and other communication devices from the premises.
Pretending to be executives of the company, the accused called up random numbers of US citizens using techniques like voice over internet protocol (VoIP) and virtual private network (VPN) to bypass the legal international long-distance gateways.
The callers would ask the person if they had placed an order, if the answer turned out to be in the affirmative, they would claim that the parcel was stuck in transit and trick them into sharing personal details like account number and Social Security Number (a document similar to India’s Aadhar card which serves as a primary proof of identity for US citizens).
Under the guise of helping them resolve the issue, the targets were made to pay up in form of gift vouchers, which the gang would redeem and transfer the money in digital wallets. The investigating team suspects the involvement of US-based accomplices who facilitated the accused with contact details and also helped them in channelling the ill-gotten money.
An offence under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and Information Technology Act has been registered at the Kashigaon police station against the accused who have been remanded to custody. Further investigations were underway.
