Tech giants aid India in call center scam raids
NEW DELHI, INDIA — Microsoft and Amazon are partnering with India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to combat tech support scams and conduct raids on illegal call centers nationwide.
The CBI, aided by intelligence from Microsoft and Amazon, is targeting call centers that impersonate the firms’ customer support teams to defraud victims.
Over 2,000 people, mainly in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Germany, Spain, and the UK, have fallen prey to these scammers.
India’s skilled English-speaking workforce and challenges with law enforcement make it a hub for tech support scams. The scammers used fake security alerts posing as Microsoft and Amazon to trick victims.
When victims called the number, the scammers took control of their computers, convinced them of fake issues, and charged hundreds of dollars for unnecessary services.
Since 2014, Microsoft has worked to fight these scams through lawsuits, law enforcement coordination, detection improvements, and consumer education. However, this collaboration is the first time Microsoft and Amazon have partnered to combat tech support fraud.
In a statement, Microsoft said they will keep aiding Indian and international agencies to dismantle scam infrastructure and bring perpetrators to justice.
The tech giants and law enforcement working together highlights the global impact of India-based scams. So far, over 30 India call centers and 100 people have been raided and arrested by the CBI.
