India Cracks Down on Tech Support Scammers to Combat Cybercrime
India’s Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI), in collaboration with Amazon and Microsoft, has launched a crackdown on tech support scammers as part of efforts to combat finance-related cybercrime. The operation, known as Chakra-II, involved raiding approximately 76 suspected illegal call center locations across 12 Indian states.
These scammers often impersonate employees of reputable companies such as Microsoft and Amazon, targeting unsuspecting individuals, particularly in the US, where over 2,000 people have been impacted. Other countries affected include Canada, Australia, the UK, Germany, and Spain.
To bolster their crackdown, Amazon and Microsoft have joined forces with CBI and international law enforcement agencies. This collaboration aims to reduce the number of scam calls by sharing resources and expertise.
During the raids, law enforcement authorities seized 32 phones, 48 laptops and hard discs, and 33 SIM cards. Multiple bank accounts associated with the scammers were also frozen. These locations were spread across states including Bihar, Dehli, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
According to the FBI, tech and customer support scams targeted more than 32,000 people in 2022, resulting in losses exceeding $800 million. Amazon emphasized its “zero tolerance” policy towards scammers pretending to be affiliated with the company. It has successfully taken down over 20,000 phishing websites and 10,000 phone numbers linked to fraud scams.
Elderly individuals are often the primary targets of these scams, accounting for 69% of victims aged 60 and above. Raising awareness about the warning signs of scam calls, phishing emails, and texts is crucial in preventing unsuspecting individuals from falling victim to these fraudulent schemes.
Microsoft Security’s Doug Thomas advised against believing any phone calls, emails, or texts claiming a problem with a device from reputable tech companies. He also highlighted that legitimate pop-up messages from these companies would not contain a phone number that needs to be called for assistance.
Amazon recommends that anyone suspecting they are being scammed report the activity to amazon.com/reportascam or email [email protected].
The joint efforts of Indian authorities, Amazon, and Microsoft demonstrate a commitment to safeguarding individuals from tech support scammers and combatting cybercrime. With these combined efforts, they hope to dismantle the operations of these fraudulent actors and protect individuals from financial harm.
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