Thane call centre scam hit UK, Australia too; US officials set to visit

MUMBAI: The Thane call centre scam, in which thousands of US citizens were duped of an estimated Rs 500 crore by callers pretending to be tax officials, is believed

MUMBAI: The Thane call centre scam, in which thousands of US citizens were duped of an estimated Rs 500 crore by callers pretending to be tax officials, is believed to be much wider in scope than initially thought. The police have learnt that the scammers targetted gullible taxpayers not only in the US but in the UK and Australia as well, by working round the clock in shifts.

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They also suspect more call centres could be involved in the racket. Thane police commissioner Paramveer Singh hinted at more arrests, saying, “The syndicate is much wider than what we thought earlier.”

A Thane crime branch official said calls to Australia began at 7am every day, while those to the UK began at 11.30 am. Those calling Australia would pose as officials from the Australian Taxation Office, while those telephoning UK citizens would pretend to be from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.

Authorities in the US have told the Thane police that officials from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service will visit India soon. Singh said, “We will cooperate and extend all possible help to the US agencies.”