- Indian authorities raided 19 locations to crack down on scammers
- Six individuals were apprehended, and various equipment was confiscated
- The crackdown focused on elderly victims in Japan
Law enforcement from India and Japan, alongside Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit (DCU), have successfully dismantled a significant financial fraud operation, leading to the arrest of six suspects involved in the scheme.
Recent actions by India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) involved raids at 19 different sites across the nation, targeting a widespread network that was operating tech support scams.
This network primarily preyed on older individuals in Japan (aged 60 and above) and included two unauthorized call centers. In addition to the arrests, both digital and physical assets were seized, including computers, storage devices, digital video recorders, and phones.
Chakra V
The initiative began with the Japan Cybercrime Control Center (JC3), a nonprofit organization in Japan focused on tackling cybercrime, which uncovered the fraudulent operation impersonating Microsoft and reported it to the tech company.
This well-structured operation, dubbed Chakra V, exploited false pop-up messages that deceived users into thinking their computers were malfunctioning, providing a contact number to “call Microsoft” for assistance.
In reality, those calls connected to the scammers, who manipulated victims into installing remote desktop software or malware to steal sensitive information and funds.
The overall operation encompassed creators of fake pop-ups, search engine optimizers, lead generators, logistics and technology suppliers, payment processors, and talent recruiters.
Microsoft mentioned that the use of generative AI has significantly facilitated the expansion of such scams, making them even more threatening.
“These criminals utilized generative AI to enhance their operations, from identifying possible victims to automating the creation of harmful pop-up notifications and facilitating language translations to better target Japanese individuals,” Microsoft stated.
“This situation illustrates the increasing sophistication of tactics used by cybercriminals and emphasizes the necessity for proactive global cooperation in protecting potential victims.”
