CBI raids in India help US uncover international scam targeting senior citizens in America
New Delhi: The CBI has recovered assets worth Rs 190 crore during its searches against six companies booked for targeting senior citizen Microsoft customers in the United States of America through a technical support scam, an investigation that has received high praise from the US Department of Justice.
During its searches last month, the agency also seized gold worth Rs 55 lakh, Rs 25 lakh cash and a plethora of digital evidence indicating alleged nefarious activities of the six accused companies, based in Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, CBI spokesperson RK Gaur said on Friday.
The CBI is collaborating with the US agencies and authorities of other friendly countries against the fraudsters who allegedly took remote control of computers of users by sending them a pop-up message of malware presence on their systems, officials here said.
Once the user dialled the number on the pop-up, they were directed to call centre executives who demanded huge sums of money to clean the non-existent malware and installed damaging software in the users' computers, they added.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) had called its work with the CBI an "unprecedented collaborative" effort and said it "sincerely appreciates the CBI's help."
A Florida court on Thursday issued a restraining order to dismantle the internet-based infrastructure of the alleged fraudsters. According to the complaint, Michael Brian Cotter, 59, of Glendale, California, knowingly provided US support for India-based accomplices in furtherance of the scheme.
The DOJ said that Cotter facilitated the scheme through companies in Singapore, Nevada, New York and the United Kingdom and was working with Indian conspirators since 2011 to set up domains, shell companies and put in place payment infrastructure.
The CBI had conducted searches at the premises of accused companies — New Delhi-based Softwill Infotech Private Limited and Saburi TLC Worldwide Services Private Limited, Jaipur-based Innovana Think labs Limited and Systweak Software Private Limited, Noida-based Benovellient Technologies Private Limited, Noida and Gurugram-based Saburi Global Services Private Limited.
The CBI has been making concerted efforts to identify and rapidly dismantle any such network of transnational cyber frauds operated out of India, Gaur said.
