The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has successfully busted a sophisticated cybercrime syndicate operating out of Noida, India, responsible for orchestrating a widespread tech support scam that defrauded numerous victims in the United Kingdom and Australia.
A key operative, Nishant Walia, identified as a partner at the company “FirstIdea,” was apprehended on Monday as part of Operation Chakra-V, an ongoing initiative by the federal probe agency targeting transnational cybercriminals.
The CBI’s operation was conducted in close collaboration with international partners, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the National Crime Agency (UK), and Microsoft Corporation, highlighting a coordinated global effort to combat such cross-border crimes.
The fraudsters employed a deceptive modus operandi: they impersonated technical support staff from reputable multinational companies, such as Microsoft, falsely claiming that victims’ devices had been compromised. They then extorted money under the pretense of resolving these non-existent technical issues.
During the raids, the CBI conducted searches at three locations in Noida, including a fully functional fraudulent call center operating from the Noida Special Economic Zone. Investigators detected live scam calls during the raids, indicating the meticulous timing of the syndicate’s operations to align with the victims’ time zones. The CBI seized extensive evidence, including advanced calling infrastructure, malicious scripts, and documents detailing the massive scale of the fraud. The call center, FirstIdea, was found to be technologically sophisticated, enabling cross-border anonymity and large-scale victim targeting.
The CBI has reiterated its firm commitment to combating cybercrime and continuing its collaboration with domestic and international partners to dismantle such criminal syndicates.
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