ED raids call centres in Chandigarh Tricity running tech support scam

The Enforcement Directorate raids illegal call centres in Chandigarh Tricity involved in fraudulent tech support services targeting foreign nationals, with multiple entities uncovered

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday said it had conducted midnight searches on multiple illegal call centres operating in the Chandigarh Tricity region. These centres were duping foreign nationals by offering fraudulent tech support services.

 

According to the ED, the companies had created overseas counterparts to receive payments from unsuspecting customers through payment gateways. The funds were then routed to India through formal banking channels as well as hawala. While the firms advertised services such as web designing and fixed wireless internet, they did not disclose details of promoters or staff. Many employees lacked the technical expertise normally associated with software or BPO services, indicating that the operations were entirely clandestine.

 

 

One such entity, FSAL Technologies Pvt Ltd, was found running a fake call centre through an overseas front named Bios Tech in the United States. It falsely claimed to provide support for Microsoft, HP printers, routers, and other hardware. However, its director, Faisal Rashid Peerzada, failed to produce any agreements or authorizations from Microsoft, HP, or Arlo to offer such services. Investigators found that FSAL was controlling the backend of Bios Tech’s website and monitoring payments received from foreign customers. Another associate, Arshdeep, a friend of Faisal, was listed as the director of Bios Tech.

 

The ED also found that the IP address of FSAL Technologies hosted geeksworldwidesolutions.com, a spoofing website imitating Geek Squad, USA, a well-known American tech support company. Call transcripts seized during the searches confirmed fraudulent practices. 

 

“Similarly, Terrasparq and Visionaire, operated by Sahu Jain, have been running similar tech scams since 2016. Jain’s sister, Ms. Priya, owns a US-based company, CTS Mobility, which acted as the overseas counterpart. ED officials recovered emails and WhatsApp chats showing the creation of fake Microsoft popup alerts and periodic fraudulent credit card transactions from foreign customers for non-existent services,” said an ED statement.

 

The websites of these companies claimed to offer services such as mobile device management, network and device management, and Device-as-a-Service (DaaS), but provided no promoter details. Photographs displayed on the websites portrayed large IT park offices, which were contrary to the reality.

 

The ED has confirmed that further investigation is underway. The directors are likely to be summoned for questioning, and more action is expected as the probe into the multi-crore tech support fraud progresses.