INDORE: Three FBI officers arrived in Indore on Friday to assist in a crime branch investigation into a fake call centre that duped American citizens by posing as US Social Security Administration officials. The Feds shared details of the US victims with Indore Police.
The gang would send voice messages to US citizens and then call them using a spoofing software to make it appear as if the calls were being made from the US. Posing as federal officials, they would tell victims that their social security number had been used in money-laundering and smuggling, and they’d have to pay a fine to save it from being blocked.
The racket went on for a year and allegedly swindled $10,000-15,000 on a daily basis, officer. Indore crime branch busted the gang in November 2020 and has arrested 21 suspects but it is proving difficult to ascertain the number of victims and how much money was swindled. This led Indore police to approach the FBI with the help of the CBI.
The FBI officers met Indore Police commissioner Harinarayanachari Mishra on Friday. “The FBI legal attaché officers shared details of around 40 US citizens, who were duped through the call centre racket, and discussed details of the case,” Mishra told TOI. The FBI has also arranged for the testimony of two of the victims via video conferencing as part of the investigation, he added.
“Indore crime branch will conduct the investigation and the FBI has assured its help since the majority of the victims are US citizens,” said Mishra. The crime branch has identified around 600 victims in the US, mostly of them elderly, he said.
