20L Americans targeted in Rs 261cr Hyd-linked call centre fraud | Hyderabad News
Hyderabad: A Hyderabad-linked call centre fraud network allegedly targeted nearly 20 lakh Americans, many of them elderly, using fake law enforcement threats and scam alerts, while an overseas collection network picked up cash and gold directly from victims’ homes, Enforcement Directorate (ED) stated.ED, which arrested four more accused Wednesday, said its probe uncovered a transnational network spanning India, the US, Dubai and Hong Kong, with proceeds allegedly routed through cryptocurrency channels, mule accounts and hawala operators before being brought into India.The investigation began with the Madhapur call centre case in Hyderabad and subsequently led to the busting of operational call centres in Chandigarh, Patiala and Pune. The scale of the operation emerged from WhatsApp groups recovered during the investigation. ED said the groups recorded 927 approved collections worth $27.39 million (Rs 261 crore) between July 2025 and Sept 2026.According to ED, fraudsters procured databases containing nearly 20 lakh telephone numbers, names, addresses and ages of US residents, many of them senior citizens. The data was fed into auto diallers hosted on servers in Germany and Finland. Preliminary findings indicated the personal information may have been sourced from the dark web and other online platforms.Forensic analysis of seized devices so far identified 549 American victims and targets who had already lost their life savings. Many were born in the 1940s. Investigators said these victims represented only a small fraction of the much larger pool of potential targets contained in the lead databases.How the fraud operatedThe scam typically began with a fake purchase notification, a refund offer, or an alert about a computer virus. Victims were either persuaded to call a toll-free helpline or received calls that appeared to originate from US numbers.Inside the call centres, employees were assigned specific roles. According to ED, “diallers” made the initial contact; “bankers” assessed victims’ financial holdings, and “closers” posed as US govt officials to extract money from them.Callers impersonated officials from Drug Enforcement Administration, Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission and US Treasury. To bolster their claims, they allegedly used forged badges, identity cards, seizure notices and court orders, falsely linking victims’ bank accounts to drug trafficking or money laundering cases. To prevent arrest or freezing of their savings, victims were allegedly instructed to maintain secrecy and surrender their money for supposed govt safekeeping.Cash, gold collected from victimsThe operation extended beyond telephone calls. ED said US-based associates were deployed to collect cash and gold directly from victims’ homes, while others received parcels through courier stores. Victims were allegedly instructed to purchase gold bars, conceal cash in courier packages, transfer funds to designated accounts, buy gift cards or deposit money through Bitcoin ATMs.Investigators said arrested accused Jaswant Singh coordinated cash pickups and parcel collections in the US and helped route the proceeds into channels that eventually converted them into rupees.Sleuths also recovered Social Security details of 140 Americans along with personal and banking information. ED alleged that identity documents were misused to receive parcels in other people’s names and to create front entities to receive money.Crypto, hawala trailCryptocurrency was used both to move illicit proceeds and to fund the infrastructure needed to run the fraud network, ED alleged. Lead databases, internet-calling services and dialler systems were allegedly paid for using USDT.The money trail ran through US mule accounts, companies in Dubai and Hong Kong, cryptocurrency wallets, and hawala and angadia channels before reaching India. ED said the proceeds were subsequently invested in properties, gold, vehicles, and businesses.Meanwhile, ED’s Hyderabad zonal office continued tracing additional beneficiaries and identifying remaining proceeds of crime.
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