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Fake Call Centers in India Scam Americans Of Millions (ap.org)

Posted by msmash on from the fraud-attack dept.

An anonymous reader writes:Indian police have arrested 70 people and are questioning hundreds more after uncovering a massive scam to cheat thousands of Americans out of millions of dollars by posing as U.S. tax authorities and demanding unpaid taxes, a police officer said Thursday. According to police in Mumbai, the yearlong scam involved running fake call centers which sent voice mail messages telling U.S. nationals to call back because they owed back taxes. Those who called back and believed the threats would fork out thousands of dollars to "settle" their case, Mumbai police officer Parag Marere said Thursday. The scam brought in more than $150,000 a day, Marere said without giving a total sum. If the scam netted that amount daily, it would have made almost $55 million in one year. Some victims were also told to buy gift vouchers from various companies, and hand over the voucher ID numbers which the impostors then used to make purchases, Marere said. Police said they are likely to file charges against many of the 600 or more people still being questioned on suspicion of running the fake call centers, housed on several stories of a Mumbai office building.

9 of 212 comments (clear)

  1. Let's teach critical thinking by null+etc. · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's a sad indictment of American intelligence that we have citizens who actually believe the government wants to be paid in iTunes gift cards.

    1. Re:Let's teach critical thinking by T.E.D. · · Score: 3, Insightful

      For me, yes falling for that would be unconscionably stupid. For an elderly person, who only has a land-line and grew up when mail and checks were the only ways to pay for things? Who doesn't even grok what an "iTunes" gift card is, and has never had a need to figure that out? I could see them thinking this must be yet another newfangled way the IRS expects payment.

      Let's not succumb to the temptation to blame the victims.

    2. Re:Let's teach critical thinking by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      For me, yes falling for that would be unconscionably stupid. For an elderly person, who only has a land-line and grew up when mail and checks were the only ways to pay for things? Who doesn't even grok what an "iTunes" gift card is, and has never had a need to figure that out? I could see them thinking this must be yet another newfangled way the IRS expects payment.

      Let's not succumb to the temptation to blame the victims.

      I'm sorry, but anyone who's been alive long enough to pay taxes for decades to the IRS knows damn well they are are component of the US Government, who hardly dabbles in the "newfangled" or even moves fast enough to keep up with it.

      There are two teachers in life; wisdom and experience. Insulating society from the latter comes at a price for the rest of us.

  2. Re:Which is the bigger crime? by Jason+Levine · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I think the bigger problem is a lack of critical thinking skills. If "the IRS" called me up and said I owed thousands of dollars in taxes, the first thing I'd do would be to call my accountant or to call the IRS directly (using a number from their website, not given to me from the caller) to double-check this. Even if I didn't think to double-check it right away, a demand that I pay my tax bill by purchasing gift cards to various stores and giving them the numbers would raise a ton of red flags. What does the IRS need with iTunes cards?

    Too many people hear a pitch over the phone or via e-mail and just go along with it because it doesn't even occur with them to think about the request being made.

    --
    My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
  3. Ah... the good ole days by coolmoe2 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    When they only took your job not your grandmas savings.

  4. I guess there's one born every minute by gnick · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'm astonished to learn that there are actually people out there that accept that trading gift cards is a viable method for taking care of back taxes. This is less convincing than a Nigerian prince needing payment so that he can collect money for you.

    My faith in humanity continues to wither.

    --
    He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.
    1. Re:I guess there's one born every minute by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      I'm astonished to learn that there are actually people out there that accept that trading gift cards is a viable method for taking care of back taxes. This is less convincing than a Nigerian prince needing payment so that he can collect money for you.

      My faith in humanity continues to wither.

      Why? Considering all the voters who back either of the two presidential candidates should kill your faith, not simply wither it.

  5. Article is about the wrong thing. by ScentCone · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This says more about our insane tax code and US citizens' absolute, paralyzing fear of the IRS and its capricious life-wrecking ways than it does about the fact that there are such things as con men taking advantage of it.

    --
    Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
  6. our money grubbing telcos by rubycodez · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This type scam has been going on for almost a year now, not all the scammers use the gift card route, some have used checks and cc numbers

    These indian scammers buy blocks of cell phone numbers from U.S. telecom companies, then buy another block when they're reported/investigated in the USA. We need laws to bring the hammer down on the U.S. companies that have been all too willing to continually resupply these scum with the cell numbers. Make them responsible for restitution of the victims.