On March 19, 2026, the counter-intelligence wing of the Jammu and Kashmir Police in India raided an illegal call center in the Rangreth neighborhood of Srinagar for its use in a “tech suppoat” scam operation against British, Canadian and American nationals. How their scam worked was:
- The scammers will generate fraudulent advertisements for their VoIP numbers on Google and Yahoo whilst masking their real locations through spoofing and server routing techniques.
- When called, the scammers will falsely claim their victims’ devices and/or bank accounts were compromised, persuading them to share sensitive details or make payments to “resolve” the matter.
- The money obtained would be routed through several bank accounts, digital wallets and crypto platforms and through the use of money mules.
Seven locals were arrested: Numai, Zahi, Iqbal, Faiq, Saleem, Mushtaq and Mukhtar, under
- Sections 112 (petty organized crime), 316 (criminal breach of trust), 318 (cheating and dishonesty inducing delivery of property), 319 (cheating by personation) and 336 (forgery) of the BNS.
- Section 66-D of the IT act
Police have also seized 13 cell phones (including iPhones and Samsung Galaxies), 9 laptops, VoIP systems, SIM cards and networking devices.
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/covert-call-centre-srinagar-cyber-fraud-10590474/