Bengaluru police have dismantled a transnational cybercrime network operating out of Whitefield, arresting 21 individuals who allegedly posed as Microsoft technical support staff to cheat foreign nationals, as per a reported.
Acting on credible intelligence, officers from the cyber command’s special cell and the Whitefield cybercrime division conducted raids on Musk Communications on November 14 and 15, TOI reported.
The two-day operation at the Delta building in Sigma Soft Tech Park led to the seizure of laptops, computers, mobile phones, hard disks and other digital devices. All 21 staff members present during the raids were produced before a local court and remanded in police custody.
Targets in the US and UK
Investigators said the group defrauded at least 150 victims in the United States and the United Kingdom since August, allegedly coercing each to deposit around $10,000—roughly Rs 13.5 crore in total—via Bitcoin ATMs. “We are in the process of extracting the bank details of the victim customers,” a senior IPS officer told the publication. “So far, we have found that victims were made to deposit money in bitcoins through various kiosks.” The accused impersonated Microsoft’s global technical support team and cited fabricated Federal Trade Commission (FTC) violations to intimidate users into paying for fake security fixes.
Key Suspects Still Missing
According to police, three masterminds behind the operation are still absconding. Officers said these individuals have been targeting victims in the US and the UK since 2022.
Malicious Facebook Ads Used as Bait
The probe revealed that Musk Communications had rented a 4,500 sq ft office in August for Rs 5 lakh a month. The gang allegedly used malicious Facebook advertisements aimed at US users. Investigators said the ads carried embedded code disguised as legitimate security alerts or service messages. Once clicked, the code froze the victim’s computer and displayed a counterfeit pop-up claiming to be from Microsoft global technical support, along with a fake helpline number. When victims called the number, the fraudsters claimed their systems had been hacked and pressured them to pay substantial amounts through Bitcoin ATMs.
Employees Paid Rs 15,000 – Rs 25,000 per Month
Police said the company employed 83 people, with 21 technical staff directly involved in the fraudulent activities. They earned monthly salaries ranging from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000. An earlier arrest in the case, Ahmedabad-based Ravi Chauhan, who recruited about 85 employees, brought the total number of accused taken into custody to 22.
