New Delhi: Eighteen people were arrested for duping State Bank of India (SBI) credit card holders across the country, except those from Delhi, of nearly ₹2.6 crore, the Delhi Police said on Saturday.
The accused, who were arrested in a six-month-long operation, allegedly obtained confidential data of customers through insiders at a call centre in Gurugram, posed as bank executives, and tricked the targets into revealing sensitive details such as one-time passwords (OTPs) and card verification values (CVVs), an officer said.
"The syndicate then used the stolen credentials to buy electronic gift cards from platforms like online travel booking platforms, which were subsequently sold to travel agents. The proceeds were laundered through cash and cryptocurrency channels, primarily Tether (USDT)," Deputy Commissioner of Police (IFSO) Vinit Kumar said in an official statement.
Police estimate the gang defrauded customers of nearly ₹2.6 crore.
"The modus operandi included data leak at the source in which insider moles in the authorised Card Protection Plan (CPP) call centre, Teleperformance, Gurugram, secretly siphoned off confidential SBI Credit Card data," he said.
The stolen details were used instantly to buy high-value e-gift cards, which were sold to travel agents for cash or converted into Tether (USDT cryptocurrency), making the money vanish from the financial system, the DCP said.
{{/usCountry}}The stolen details were used instantly to buy high-value e-gift cards, which were sold to travel agents for cash or converted into Tether (USDT cryptocurrency), making the money vanish from the financial system, the DCP said.
{{/usCountry}}This slick operation ran non-stop, targeting people across states while avoiding Delhi-based SBI customers, he added.
Ankit Rathi, Waseem, and Vishal Bhardwaj were identified as the masterminds of the fraud. Call centre employees Vishesh Lahori and Durgesh Dhakad were accused of leaking data, while others arrested were several operational members, finance handlers and SIM card suppliers.
Police recovered 52 mobile phones, multiple SIM cards and customer bank details during the investigation.
"The investigation has also raised concerns about large-scale data leaks from Teleperformance, a Gurugram-based call centre handling critical banking information. The breach exposes the company's inability to safeguard confidential data and raises urgent questions about its security protocols," police said.