Bengaluru: 21 'Microsoft support staff' held for cheating 150 US, UK victims of Rs 13.5 crore

The 21 technical staff arrested were directly involved in the scam. They were also among the 83 people employed by Musk Communications. (AI-generated image)

The Bengaluru police have busted a transnational cybercrime syndicate operating from Whitefield, arresting 21 suspects who allegedly posed as Microsoft technical support staff to defraud foreign nationals, The Times of India reported.

Acting on a tip-off, sleuths from the cyber command’s special cell and the Whitefield cybercrime division raided Musk Communications on November 14 and 15. The two-day operation at the firm’s office on the sixth floor of Delta building, Sigma Soft Tech Park, led to the seizure of computers, laptops, hard disks, mobile phones, and other devices. All 21 staffers present were produced before a local court and remanded in police custody.

Investigators revealed that the gang targeted at least 150 victims in the US and UK since August, coercing each to deposit around $10,000 (approximately Rs 13.5 crore) into 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 allegedly impersonated Microsoft global technical support staff and cited fabricated ‘Federal Trade Commission (FTC) violations’ to frighten victims. Under this pretext, they extorted large sums for bogus security fixes and compliance procedures.

“Three kingpins are still at large. They have been targeting victims in the UK and USA since 2022,” an investigating officer said.

Police said Musk Communications rented a 4,500 sq ft office in August for Rs 5 lakh a month. The gang deployed malicious Facebook ads targeting US users. “These ads contained embedded code masquerading as legitimate security alerts or service links. Once a user clicked on the ad, the code froze the computer and triggered a pop-up claiming to be from Microsoft global technical support, displaying a fake helpline number,” investigators explained.

When victims called the number, fraudsters claimed the user’s computer was hacked, the IP address compromised, and banking data at risk. They then coerced victims into paying hefty sums via Bitcoin ATMs.

Police said Musk Communications employed 83 people, of which 21 technical staff were directly involved in the scam. They were paid monthly salaries ranging from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000. Meanwhile, an individual identified as Ravi Chauhan from Ahmedabad, who recruited around 85 staffers, was arrested last month, taking the total arrests to 22.