Fake Call Centre Targeting Australians Busted In Hyderabad, 13 Arrested

The Cyberabad Police on Wednesday said it had busted an international fake call centre run in the name of an e-commerce firm operating from Hyderabad, and arrested 13 people for allegedly cheating people based in Australia by posing as tech support staff of the firm.

The arrested include two managers and nine telecallers working at the fake tech-support call centre, who belong to West Bengal and Telangana, they said.

The international fake call centre had been operating from Petbasheerabad in Hyderabad for the past one week and the accused duped (online) at least three Australians so far, a police official said, adding that they had gained access to the database of 40,000 nationals of Australia and Canada from some mediators, who are missing.

According to the police, the accused called potential targets in Australia and offered technical support, telling them that their account (of an e-commerce subscription) had either been hacked or faced a security threat.

“The accused persons used illegal techniques and Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) calls. The victims were made to pay the specified amount through gift cards which were redeemed at the Australia-based bank accounts by the overseas contacts of the accused,” a release from Cyberabad Police said.

A total of 13 persons were present at the call centre and they engaged in calls with foreign nationals by pretending to be tech support staff of the e-commerce firm, police said.

Police seized desktop monitors, CPUs, mobile phones, internet routers, telecommunication software as well as incriminating data found on the computers and mobile phones, among other materials, from the possession of the accused.

Three customer data vendors, from whom the database of Australian and Canada nationals was procured, are absconding in the case, police added.

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