Latest news with #VoiceoverInternetProtocol
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
EOU busts syndicate involved in Rs 40 crore cyberfraud, 6 held
Patna: The Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar Police, in collaboration with department of telecommunications (Govt of India), has uncovered a major cybercrime syndicate, involved in a nationwide fraud of more than Rs 40 crore, with the arrest of its 21-year-old mastermind, Harshit Kumar, and five others from Gauspur in Supaul district on Sunday, said additional director general (ADG) Nayyar Hasnain Khan on Monday. The syndicate committed frauds using spoofed SIM boxes, brought from China and Vietnam, causing a loss of about Rs 2.5 crore to the telecommunications department just in the last two weeks, he added. The operation, conducted across Supaul, Vaishali and other districts in Bihar, revealed an extensive cyberfraud network with international connections. Police have linked the syndicate's operations to at least 18 cases reported across West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, Delhi, Odisha and Jharkhand. ADG, EOU, Khan said a total of six people, including Common Service Center operator Mohd Sultan and four point of sale (POS) machine operators, were arrested in the matter. "Eight spoofed SIM box devices and hundreds of certified, used and unused SIM cards, along with multiple bank passbooks and other documents were seized. An Investigation revealed that Harshit established connections with individuals from China, Vietnam, Cambodia and other countries through social media platforms," Khan said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Ukraine: New Container Houses (Prices May Surprise You) Container House | Search Ads Search Now Undo Explaining the modus operandi, he said the syndicate operated a parallel exchange system, converting Voice over Internet Protocol calls into local fraud calls, targeting citizens across the country. The group reportedly made over 10,000 fake calls daily through these spoofed SIM boxes. "The cybercrime syndicate has been operating the network since Jan 2025. It means that the department must have suffered a loss in revenue of about Rs 30 crore in the last seven months," he said. Khan added mastermind Harshit has a luxurious house in Motihari, East Champaran. "Besides, Rs 3 crore worth transactions were discovered through his bank account. He also holds accounts on two cryptocurrency exchanges, suggesting evidence of significant cryptocurrency transactions," the ADG said. The investigation also uncovered a sophisticated SIM card supply network. One Sumit Shah from Pakur in neighbouring Jharkhand, supplied approximately 1,000 SIM cards to Harshit since March. Accused Mohd Sultan was involved in collecting biometric data from villagers under the pretence of govt schemes, which was then used to obtain SIM cards illegally. The EOU is currently investigating the financial aspects of the case, including PAN details, bank accounts and Aadhaar information of the accused.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- The Hindu
Nine arrested for operating fake call centre targeting Indians and Americans
Nine individuals were arrested by the Cyberabad Police for operating a fake call centre from a rented villa in Bachupally, targeting unsuspecting victims in both India and the United States under the guise of customer support representatives from reputed financial platforms including PayPal, Geek Squad, and other credit card companies. The operation was unearthed by the Medchal Special Operation Team (SOT) and cybercrime police following intelligence inputs. The arrested accused, all natives of Kolkata, West Bengal, were identified as Danish Alam, Md. Saheb Ali alias Sonu, Md. Fahad Pervez, Md. Aman Alam, Md. Ishtiaque Ahmed, Mohammed Mohsin, Farid Hussain, Md. Shadhab Alam, and Md. Sonu. They had relocated to Cyberabad with the promise of high salaries, commissions, and free accommodation. A few more suspects involved in the operation remain absconding, and efforts are underway to trace them. Investigations revealed that the gang was operating a full-fledged illegal call centre, receiving inbound VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) calls from victims using apps like Zoiper, X-Lite, and Microsoft Teams, which were triggered via phishing emails. These emails impersonated major platforms such as PayPal, Geek Squad, and credit card services, falsely warning recipients of unauthorised transactions. When the victims responded, the accused, trained to speak fluently in English using scripted dialogues, convinced them to install remote access tools such as AnyDesk. Once they accessed the victims' systems, they harvested sensitive data including bank credentials, transaction histories, and passwords. Victims, many of whom were senior citizens and women, were threatened with bogus criminal charges like drug trafficking or the leaking of personal photographs if they refused to cooperate. In some cases, the fraudsters impersonated police officers or judicial authorities to create panic and extract money. The gang also used fake banking apps, spoofed emails, and social engineering tactics for frauds. The police recovered 22 mobile phones, 10 laptops, multiple headsets, and a full VOIP call setup from the location. It was further revealed that the gang had recently shifted from another villa in SVS Aparna, Bachupally, after raising suspicion among residents. A case has been registered under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act, 2008. Police are in the process of identifying additional victims, recovering defrauded funds, and dismantling the digital infrastructure used by the group. The cybercrime police advised the public not to respond to suspicious emails or calls claiming to be from customer service teams. Verification should always be made through official sources, and any suspected cyber fraud should be reported immediately by dialling 1930 or contacting the nearest cybercrime police station.
USA Today
14-07-2025
- USA Today
Avoid giving your real phone number to strangers and do this instead: Video
Our phones are a direct line to us, but sometimes we don't want to give our numbers out to just anyone. They have more information attached to them than we might realize. Instead of giving your real number to someone on a dating app, sellers on Facebook Marketplace or putting it on your real estate business card, consider this: Get a free second number! Skip the usual phone providers and use a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) instead. These services make calls over the internet, instead of the standard method of phone poles and cell towers. Many of these numbers can be accessed via a web browser or an app, so you don't need to buy another device, either. Safe and convenient? Please and thank you! Watch this video to see how you can get a second phone number for free. Google Voice number There are different VoIP apps, but one of the most popular services for this is Google Voice. Just sign up via the website or app to get a phone number. You can choose the number with a specific area code or tied to a specific city. Once it's established, it works just like a regular phone. You can make and receive calls, texts and voicemails. Most Google Voice calls made in the U.S. to the U.S. or Canada are free. However, some some domestic and international calls do have a fee. Messages and calls made to your Google Voice number can also be automatically forwarded to your actual number, so it comes through just like any other call or text does. To turn this setting on or off, look for the Call forwarding option under Settings. Shop top-rated related products: What's my Google Voice number You can find your Google Voice number under the Account section in your Settings. Also consider adding it as a note on your phone or in your contact card for an easier way to find it. Can Google Voice receive texts Yes, Google Voice can receive texts. However, you don't want to use a VoIP number for accounts that require a 2-factor authentication text code. Some banks won't send codes to these numbers.
American Military News
05-07-2025
- American Military News
EXPLAINED: What are scam parks?
This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission. Cyber scam compounds made international headlines in January after a Chinese actor was rescued from Myanmar's notorious KK Park. In late December, Wang Xing flew to Mae Sot, Thailand on the promise of an acting gig. Instead, he was kidnapped and hustled across the border into a compound where victims like him are forced to trick others out of their savings. If they fail to do so, they are often violently punished. What is extraordinary about Wang's case is not the fake job ad, the kidnapping or the cross-border smuggling into a compound filled with thousands of victims from around the world. Rather, it is his rescue that is unusual. Chinese actor Wang Xing, left, shakes the hand of a Thai police officer after being released from a Myanmar scam center, in Thailand's Mae Sot district, Jan. 7, 2025. (Royal Thai Police via Reuters) Across the region, hundreds of thousands of people are locked away in similar circumstances. Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar have all seen a massive proliferation of scam compounds in recent years. Run by a range of organized crime groups, the compounds are often linked to powerful local individuals and operate with impunity. Where did scam compounds come from? More than a decade ago, cheap internet made Cambodia an early hotspot for Chinese and Taiwanese phone scammers. Pretending to be officials from the government, insurance companies or other businesses, scammers used Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, to call victims in their home countries — most frequently China — and trick them or threaten them into transferring money out of their bank accounts. Early scam operations run out of Cambodia, Kenya, Malaysia and elsewhere bankrupted countless individuals and netted billions of yuan. While thousands of people have been arrested and deported over the years, those early operations were never fully stamped out and instead proliferated and grew more sophisticated and broad-reaching. In Cambodia, a 2019 ban on online gambling followed by a mass exodus of Chinese expats and tourists during the pandemic saw casinos increasingly repurposed as scam centers. Special Economic Zones created in Laos and other countries to foster new businesses became hubs of criminality due to lax regulations. In Myanmar, meanwhile, the coup and resulting civil war expanded business opportunities for would-be criminals while lessening the likelihood of enforcement. Couple the endemic corruption with a global pool of relatively educated but desperately poor job seekers and you get the makings of an unprecedented criminal opportunity. Estimates of money stolen by criminal groups operating out of lower Mekong nations now range from $18 billion a year to upwards of $40 billion . How do the scams work? Tricking victims into believing their accounts have been compromised remains a common scam in much of the world. But compounds in Southeast Asia have heavily focus ed on pig butchering in recent years. A loose translation of sha zhu pan (杀猪盘), pig butchering refers to the process of fattening up a victim before sending them to the slaughter. If these scams take more time and energy, they also appear to net higher gains. After messaging millions of people — often with innocuous messages that are written off as simply a wrong number — scammers then focus their energies on the few who reply, slowly building up a friendship or romantic relationship. Over time, victims are convinced to invest in crypto or other business opportunities, with small returns often shared back to them. Having seen this 'proof' of their loved one's business prowess, the victim is then convinced to make a much more significant 'investment.' In this way, victims routinely lose thousands, hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. A Vietnamese man who was held at this KK Park scam compound in Myanmar's Kayin state supplied this undated photo of the call center. (Nguyen) Who are the scammers? But the victims often include the scammers themselves. While it is clear that some scammers are willingly employed, drawn by the promise of large salaries in countries where poverty is rife, many compounds continue to rely on large pools of trafficked labor. As in Wang's case, victims are often lured with the promise of a well-paid job that draws on the language and computer skills many of the region's underemployed youth hold. Reports from former scammers suggest some who are successful in defrauding victims stand to make good money and not all are employed forcibly. But far more reports have emerged of scammers being tied to their phones through stark violence. Beatings, electroshock, withholding of meals and other forms of abuse and torture appear common at such compounds, with escapees often sharing devastating stories. A person at a KK Park scam compound in Myanmar's Kayin state is chained to a bed in this undated photo. (Nguyen) Those operating the scam compounds also earn money in more straightforward ways, such as ransoming kidnapped victims back to their friends and family. A Taiwanese fire dancer who was kidnapped in Thailand and brought to a scam park last month was forcibly trained as a scammer and told he would be freed only if his family paid $30,000. While he was released after a joint operation between Taiwanese and Thai police, many of those who make it out of compounds do so only after their families have paid up. It is exceedingly difficult to know how many people are being held against their will in such centers, but estimates are in the hundreds of thousands , with the U.N. suggesting upwards of 100,000 people have been trafficked into Cambodia and another 120,000 in Myanmar. While operators are generally understood to be tied to Chinese crime groups, trafficked workers come from across the globe . In recent years, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Nepal, Kenya, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Uganda, Kenya and more have rescued citizens or seen them escape from compounds in Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. Edited by Jim Snyder.
Indian Express
27-06-2025
- Indian Express
US residents ‘targeted' by Kolkata-based ‘fraud call centre'; 5 arrested from Park Street
The Cyber Police Station of Kolkata Police on Thursday arrested five persons in connection with a 'fraudulent call centre' that allegedly targeted residents of the United States. The arrests were made following a raid at a premises on Park Street in the early hours of the day. Police said the accused were picked up between 2.15 am and 2.35 am from a first-floor room on Park Lane. The arrested have been identified as Ashutosh Ray (28) of Park Street, and Md Sarfaraz (22), Akeel Ahmed (22), Nawazish Hussain (23), and Md Rashed Hussain (22) — all residents of Bright Street in the Karaya area. According to police, the accused were running a fake call centre from the Park Lane address. 'They made Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls to residents in the United States, impersonating tech support and utility service providers such as PayPal, Norton, and McAfee. They then allegedly cheated victims by remotely accessing their computers and siphoning money,' said a police official. During the raid, police recovered several items, including 'leads' (lists of potential victims) and conversation scripts used in the fraudulent calls. Ray was allegedly identified as the owner of the call centre, while the others were 'working under him'. Police said more members of the group are absconding. Four laptops, five mobile phones, and two routers were seized along with 'incriminating documents', police said, claiming the devices contained evidence of dialers used for VoIP calls and remote access software. The accused will be produced in court on Thursday, with police seeking their custody for further investigation. A case has been registered under Sections 66, 66C, 66D, 84B, and 43 of the Information Technology Act, 2000, and Sections 61(2), 319(2) (cheating by personation), 318(4) (cheating), 336(2) and 336(3) (forgery), 338 (forgery of valuable security), and 340(2) (using forged documents) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. Sweety Kumari reports from West Bengal for The Indian Express. She is a journalist with over a decade of experience in the media industry. Covers Crime, Defence, Health , Politics etc and writes on trending topics. With a keen eye for investigative and human-interest stories. She has honed her craft across diverse beats including aviation, health, incidents etc. Sweety delivers impactful journalism that informs and engages audiences. Sweety Kumari is a graduate of Calcutta University with an Honors degree in Journalism from Jaipuria College and a PG in Mass Communication from Jadavpur University. Originally from Bihar, she is brought up in Kolkata and completed her education from Kendriya Vidyalaya SaltLake. Multilingual, Sweety is fluent in English, Hindi, Bengali, and Maithili. She started her career as an Entertainment and lifestyle journalist with a newsportal in Kolkata. She is working with The Indian Express for 8 years now. ... Read More
