Cyberabad police bust VoIP racket; arrest 115 persons posing as Amazon executives

HYDERABAD: In a significant operation, the Cyberabad police apprehended a gang of cyber fraudsters who were involved in deceiving foreign customers through Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls by impersonating as Amazon executives. The police arrested 115 individuals who were engaged in these illegal activities after a raid in Vittal Rao Nagar in Madhapur.

Following the operation, a suo-moto case was registered at Madhapur Police Station.

The fraudsters had an elaborate modus operandi. They first collected data, including phone numbers and personal information of victims, from a website called callcentersindia. They would then call the victims and claim that a parcel had been seized by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) because it contained suspicious substances. The victims would be threatened with legal action if they did not purchase gift cards from Amazon or Apple and provide the redemption codes to the fraudsters," said Cyberabad Commissioner Stephen Raveendra.

The fraudsters then sold the redeemed gift card codes at discounted rates on the PAXFUL website and received payments in cryptocurrency. The acquired cryptocurrency was then converted into USDT (Stablecoin) through the TRUST cryptocurrency exchange platform. The accused identified local Bitcoin vendors as buyers, allowing them to convert cryptocurrency into Indian currency through cash or digital transactions.

This operation spanned over two-and-a-half years, with key websites such as callcentersindia, localbitcoin, and Paxful playing integral roles in the fraud. During the raid, the police seized various items, including 7 laptops, 115 CPUs, 120 mobiles, an Audi car and cash worth Rs 2.5 lakh. The police are now investigating the matter and are trying to track down the money that the accused have laundered. They are also trying to identify victims of the fraud.