The Karnataka State Cyber Command has busted a network of fake call centres operating in Bengaluru that allegedly cheated several United States citizens by impersonating "QuickBooks," a prominent US-based accounting software company.
Officials of the Cyber Crime Police Station along with the Special Cyber Cell conducted the raids across four locations in Bengaluru, out of which the fraudulent call centers were operating.
The arrested persons have been identified as Prashanth from Delhi and Akash from Uttar Pradesh.
According to officials, the accused were posing as representatives of QuickBooks and duping US citizens by offering fake tax advice, software licensing and renewal services, along with counterfeit license keys and technical support. The accused allegedly collected large sums of money from victims for these fraudulent services.
The accused had allegedly created a company named "Circle Square LLC" and used multiple shell companies to siphon off money obtained from US citizens, as per investigators.
Police further said the call centre operators used fake names resembling those of US officials to gain the trust of victims and carry out the fraud.
During the raids, police seized several electronic devices and materials allegedly used in the scam, including 44 SSDs, two mobile phones, two laptops, nine CPUs, pre-written scripts used to speak to victims, and other accessories.
Police are now probing the money trail, including the bank accounts used to transfer and liquidate the funds.
