Fake call centre busted in west Delhi, 65 held for duping US citizens

NEW DELHI: Police have busted a fake call centre in West Delhi’s Hari Nagar and arrested 65 people who allegedly impersonated as government officials of the US and duped US-based citizens on the pretext of suspension of their Social Security Number.
According to police, the two owners of the call centre, Lakhan Jagwani and Vijender Singh Rawat, who were also arrested, procured the details of the US residents using illegal techniques and extorted money from them in the name of saving them from legal action.
Urvija Goel, deputy commissioner of police (West), said, “The magnitude of the total cheated amount is estimated to be in crores. They were cheating US citizens by impersonating themselves as government officials of US Customs and Border Protection Department, Drug Enforcement Agency, Sheriff, FBI and USA’s treasury office. They extorted money from overseas victims in the name of saving them from legal action and arrest. On Wednesday, a police team conducted a raid at the call centre in Hari Nagar where many people were engaged in making and receiving international calls.”
This type of scam usually begins with a pre-recorded threatening robocall claiming to be from the legal department of the US and telling a foreigner that “your SSN will be suspended soon” and to save themselves from legal action, the person is persuaded to connect via pressing 1 on IVR. When the person presses 1 on IVR, the call gets connected to one of the telecallers sitting in a fake call centre.
The telecallers impersonate themselves as US government officials and tell the innocent foreigners that a parcel containing drugs addressed in the name of the victim has been seized by the US Customs and Border Protection Department. To save themselves from ‘legal action’, victims are then told to immediately transfer their entire bank balance amount into e-gift cards. They are told that their money would be refunded later by the government.
As the numbers used are spoofed VoIP numbers, the complainant can neither call back nor those numbers can be traced. “The alleged persons procured the details of the victims in the US using illegal techniques, VoIP calling and caller ID spoofing.”