Indian authorities raid call centers on suspicion of helpdesk fraud

India’s Central Bureau of Investigation, or CBI, said on Thursday that it has taken action against several call centers suspected of help desk fraud. It is not known whether there have been any arrests.

The CBI reports that it surveyed 76 locations across different regions in India. In addition, it seized a total of 32 phones, 48 ​​laptops/hard drives, images from two servers, 33 SIM cards, dumps of fifteen email accounts and an unknown number of USB sticks. Various bank accounts have also been blocked.

Authorities suspect the call centers of posing as Microsoft and Amazon helpdesk employees. They contacted the customers of these companies to gain access to bank accounts and personal information. The call centers targeted customers from the US, UK and Germany, among others. Microsoft and Amazon participated in the investigation into the call centers. According to the companies, at least 2,000 of their customers have fallen victim to helpdesk fraud through these call centers.