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FBI in Thane to probe call centre racket

MUMBAI: Officials of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reached Thane on Friday and met senior officials, including commissioner of police (Thane) Parambir

Published on: Oct 15, 2016, 07:00:24 IST
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MUMBAI: Officials of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reached Thane on Friday and met senior officials, including commissioner of police (Thane) Parambir Singh, in connection with the fake call centre scam busted at Mira road in which US citizens were duped by racketeers posing as US IRS officials.

HT Image
HT Image

Sources in the Thane police said immediately after the racket was busted last week, they got in touch with FBI officials and informed them about the case.

According to the probe so far, over 6,500 US nationals have been cheated in the scam.

Police are probing the role of US-based agents who earned 30% commission per victim while their counterparts in Mira Road got a plump 70%.

Police sources said the employees would pose as IRS officials to bully loan defaulters in the US into making payments.

Victims would be asked to submit their bank details, using which the callers would hack into their accounts and clear the savings.

Scammers were trained to converse with the defaulters in an American accent.

The accused used special software to mask the original number they were calling from.

Police said the software ensured that the receivers saw a US number on their phones.

(With agency inputs)

  • Arvind Walmiki
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Arvind Walmiki

    Arvind is a correspondent from Thane who covers crime beat and has an experience of four years in the field. Apart from crime he is also a volunteer of Wildlife Crime Control bureau and reports on environment and rescue operations in the city.Read More

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