10 held for running fake call centre in Nallasopara, near Mumbai

The Mira Bhayander Vasai Virar Commissionerate (MBVV) on Wednesday busted a fake call centre racket and arrested 10 accused from a flat in Nallasopara.

According to police, three women and seven men were duping people from New Jersey, California, Washington and other cities in the United States.

“Sub-inspector Surendra Shivade received a tip-off about the fake call centre. The scam runs into several crores, as the gang were operating since the many months,” said inspector Jitendra Vankoti.

The call centre was run in a flat in Nalla Sopara (West). The accused are linked to an international gang, who transfer them money, said Vankoti.

“We raided the flat at around 2am on Wednesday. The accused spoke fluent American English. They sent bulk messages to thousands of US citizens claiming that their vehicle was found involved in a crime and that drugs and bloodstains were found inside,” said Shivade.

The conmen would then convince the victims to pay hefty fines ranging from 10,000 to 15,000 US dollars as a settlement to escape jail, said Shivade.

Vankoti further said, “All the accused had a script which they used while speaking to US citizens. The accused would also claim that they can their social security numbers.”

The victims were asked to purchase gift cards online from a popular shopping firm, scratch the 16-digit number on the card and share it with the accused. Later the accused would share the number with the international gang to encash the cards. They then transferred a share to the Nallasopara call centre and earned crores. A possible havala racket cannot be ruled out said an officer.

Police have seized nine laptops, routers and headsets from the flat. The accused have been arrested on charges of forgery and cheating of the Indian Penal Code and under relevant sections of the Information Technology Act and the Indian Telegraph Act. The accused will produced before the Vasai court on Thursday said Vankoti.