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Indian Express
a day ago
- Indian Express
Six-month police op dismantles cybercrime syndicate in Delhi targeting SBI credit card holders
In a six-month-long operation, Delhi Police said it dismantled what it described as a major cybercrime syndicate that defrauded State Bank of India credit card holders across the country, siphoning off more than Rs 2.6 crore. The Police said Saturday that 18 people had been arrested, including the alleged masterminds, insiders at a Gurgaon call centre, SIM card suppliers, cryptocurrency handlers and field operatives. The network was operating out of Kakrola and Uttam Nagar in Dwarka, the police added. The police said the syndicate was run much like a company, with divided roles and responsibilities. The scheme began with employees at a Gurgaon-based call centre, which had authorisation to handle SBI's Card Protection Plan services. Those employees, police said, leaked customer information — including names, registered mobile numbers and partial card details — with particular focus on clients enrolled in the protection program. The data was passed on to callers who posed as bank executives. According to police, those callers used scripted conversations to persuade victims that they were dealing with genuine customer service representatives. 'The pretext for these calls commonly involved offering assistance, renewal, or verification of CPP benefits, thereby creating a facade of legitimacy and instilling trust in the victim,' said Vinit Kumar, deputy commissioner of police with the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations unit. During the calls, the accused deployed fabricated terms such as One Time Permission and Customer Value Verification Code to manipulate victims into handing over authentication details like one-time passwords and card verification values. 'The process was executed in real time, allowing the syndicate to immediately utilize the stolen credentials to conduct unauthorized online transactions,' Kumar added. The stolen data was then used to purchase electronic gift cards from platforms including EaseMyTrip and Woohoo. Those gift cards were sold to travel agents and intermediaries, who used them to buy domestic airline tickets. The gang was paid in cash or cryptocurrency, often in the form of Tether, police said. The cycle was repeated across multiple states, with callers deliberately avoiding customers in Delhi to avoid drawing scrutiny. In the crackdown, the police seized 52 mobile phones, dozens of SIM cards and sensitive customer data. Police identified the alleged ringleaders as Ankit Rathi, Waseem and Vishal Bhardwaj. Two call centre employees, Vishesh Lahori and Durgesh Dhakad, were accused of leaking customer information. Others arrested included operational handlers Rahul Vishwakarma, Pawan Bisht, Kailash Purohit, Himanshu Chugh and Ravin Saini, as well as finance operatives Akhilesh Lakhotia and Harsh Chauhan. Another man, Shivam Sehrawat, was accused of supplying SIM cards to the group. 'It is a matter of grave concern that sensitive data has been consistently leaked by employees of a major call centre,' Kumar said. He added that employees hired as far back as 2019 had been systematically leaking company data for years. 'This alarming breach not only exposes the company's inability to safeguard confidential information but also raises urgent questions about the adequacy of its security protocols and monitoring systems,' he said. 'Given that the call centre holds critical data of major banks in India, this breach represents a severe financial risk and positions the company as a significant source of data leakage leading to cyber financial frauds.'
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Haryana: Data leak from Gurugram call centre leads to ₹2.60cr credit card fraud; 18 held
Eighteen people were arrested for duping State Bank of India (SBI) credit card holders across the country, except those from Delhi, of nearly ₹ 2.6 crore, the Delhi Police said on Saturday. Police have recovered 52 mobile phones, multiple SIM cards and customer bank details during the investigation. (HT File) The accused, who were arrested in a six-month-long operation, allegedly obtained confidential data of customers through insiders at a call centre in Gurugram, posed as bank executives, and tricked the targets into revealing sensitive details such as one-time passwords (OTPs) and card verification values (CVVs), an officer said. 'The syndicate then used the stolen credentials to buy electronic gift cards from platforms like online travel booking platforms, which were subsequently sold to travel agents. The proceeds were laundered through cash and cryptocurrency channels, primarily Tether (USDT),' deputy commissioner of police (IFSO) Vinit Kumar said in an official statement. Police estimate the gang defrauded customers of nearly ₹2.6 crore. 'The modus operandi included data leak at the source in which insider moles in the authorised Card Protection Plan (CPP) call centre, Teleperformance, Gurugram, secretly siphoned off confidential SBI Credit Card data,' the DCP said. The stolen details were used instantly to buy high-value e-gift cards, which were sold to travel agents for cash or converted into Tether (USDT cryptocurrency), making the money vanish from the financial system, the DCP said. This slick operation ran non-stop, targeting people across states while avoiding Delhi-based SBI customers, he added. Ankit Rathi, Waseem, and Vishal Bhardwaj were identified as the masterminds of the fraud. Call centre employees Vishesh Lahori and Durgesh Dhakad were accused of leaking data, while others arrested were several operational members, finance handlers and SIM card suppliers. Police have recovered 52 mobile phones, multiple SIM cards and customer bank details during the investigation.'The investigation has also raised concerns about large-scale data leaks from Teleperformance, a Gurugram-based call centre handling critical banking information. The breach exposes the company's inability to safeguard confidential data and raises urgent questions about its security protocols,' police said.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Data leak from Gurugram call centre leads to ₹2.6 crore credit card fraud, 18 nabbed
New Delhi: Eighteen people were arrested for duping State Bank of India (SBI) credit card holders across the country, except those from Delhi, of nearly ₹2.6 crore, the Delhi Police said on Saturday. Police estimate the gang defrauded customers of nearly ₹ 2.6 crore. (REPRESENTATIVE PIC) The accused, who were arrested in a six-month-long operation, allegedly obtained confidential data of customers through insiders at a call centre in Gurugram, posed as bank executives, and tricked the targets into revealing sensitive details such as one-time passwords (OTPs) and card verification values (CVVs), an officer said. "The syndicate then used the stolen credentials to buy electronic gift cards from platforms like online travel booking platforms, which were subsequently sold to travel agents. The proceeds were laundered through cash and cryptocurrency channels, primarily Tether (USDT)," Deputy Commissioner of Police (IFSO) Vinit Kumar said in an official statement. Police estimate the gang defrauded customers of nearly ₹2.6 crore. "The modus operandi included data leak at the source in which insider moles in the authorised Card Protection Plan (CPP) call centre, Teleperformance, Gurugram, secretly siphoned off confidential SBI Credit Card data," he said. The stolen details were used instantly to buy high-value e-gift cards, which were sold to travel agents for cash or converted into Tether (USDT cryptocurrency), making the money vanish from the financial system, the DCP said. This slick operation ran non-stop, targeting people across states while avoiding Delhi-based SBI customers, he added. Ankit Rathi, Waseem, and Vishal Bhardwaj were identified as the masterminds of the fraud. Call centre employees Vishesh Lahori and Durgesh Dhakad were accused of leaking data, while others arrested were several operational members, finance handlers and SIM card suppliers. Police recovered 52 mobile phones, multiple SIM cards and customer bank details during the investigation. "The investigation has also raised concerns about large-scale data leaks from Teleperformance, a Gurugram-based call centre handling critical banking information. The breach exposes the company's inability to safeguard confidential data and raises urgent questions about its security protocols," police said.
Economic Times
2 days ago
- Economic Times
Data leak from Gurugram call centre leads to Rs 2.60 cr credit card fraud; 18 nabbed
Agencies Delhi Police (Representative image) Eighteen people were arrested for duping State Bank of India (SBI) credit card holders across the country, except those from Delhi, of nearly Rs 2.6 crore, the Delhi Police said on Saturday. The accused, who were arrested in a six-month-long operation, allegedly obtained confidential data of customers through insiders at a call centre in Gurugram, posed as bank executives, and tricked the targets into revealing sensitive details such as one-time passwords (OTPs) and card verification values (CVVs), an officer said. "The syndicate then used the stolen credentials to buy electronic gift cards from platforms like online travel booking platforms, which were subsequently sold to travel agents. The proceeds were laundered through cash and cryptocurrency channels, primarily Tether (USDT)," Deputy Commissioner of Police (IFSO) Vinit Kumar said in an official statement. Police estimate the gang defrauded customers of nearly Rs 2.6 crore. "The modus operandi included data leak at the source in which insider moles in the authorised Card Protection Plan (CPP) call centre, Teleperformance, Gurugram, secretly siphoned off confidential SBI Credit Card data," he said. The stolen details were used instantly to buy high-value e-gift cards, which were sold to travel agents for cash or converted into Tether (USDT cryptocurrency), making the money vanish from the financial system, the DCP said. This slick operation ran non-stop, targeting people across states while avoiding Delhi-based SBI customers, he added. Ankit Rathi, Waseem, and Vishal Bhardwaj were identified as the masterminds of the fraud. Call centre employees Vishesh Lahori and Durgesh Dhakad were accused of leaking data, while others arrested were several operational members, finance handlers and SIM card suppliers. Police recovered 52 mobile phones, multiple SIM cards and customer bank details during the investigation. "The investigation has also raised concerns about large-scale data leaks from Teleperformance, a Gurugram-based call centre handling critical banking information. The breach exposes the company's inability to safeguard confidential data and raises urgent questions about its security protocols," police said.
