'Your account has been hacked': How fraudsters sitting in Thane duped Americans over the phone

Police have busted a fake call centre in Maharashtra’s Thane district that was defrauding American citizens, officials said on Friday. Acting on a tip-off, authorities raided the call centre in the Hatkesh area of Mira Road and apprehended seven individuals involved in the operation.

Scam operation details

According to Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime) Madan Ballal and senior inspector Aviraj Kurhade, the fraudsters posed as employees of a well-known e-commerce company. They contacted US citizens, falsely claiming that their accounts had been hacked or that unauthorised transactions had taken place.

Victims were then pressured to pay cancellation charges to avoid further deductions from their bank accounts. The scamsters directed them to transfer money to designated bank accounts or purchase gift vouchers, which the fraudsters later redeemed.

Key accused identified

Among those arrested, police have identified Shahrukh Shaikh (30) and Imran Khan (27) as the key figures behind the operation. Authorities also seized laptops, mobile phones, and other digital accessories from the premises.

The investigation is ongoing to trace any additional suspects or financial transactions linked to the scam.

(Inputs from PTI)