Virar: Over 40 people were arrested as a result of an unexpected turn of events involving a beachside restaurant in Virar, near Mumbai, which was instrumental in exposing a massive phony call center activity. Around 4 am, the restaurant started receiving large breakfast orders, including idli, dosa, poha, and tea, which raised suspicions.

Early Morning Breakfast Order

The restaurant alerted the Virar Arnala police, pointing out that these early morning food orders were out of the ordinary. An investigation was launched by the police, given that visitors to the region often do not order breakfast at such early hours. Following their investigation, the police discovered that these breakfast orders turned out to be a front for the illicit operations of a fake call center

Targets Australian

It is said that the staff members at the center received training on how to impersonate Australian individuals in order to trick them into disclosing their one-time passwords (OTPs), which they needed in order to access their online financial service information. Police discovered a bungalow in Virar that was purportedly the headquarters of the fictitious call center.

Salary In Cash For Employees  

Employees allegedly established up more than fifty phone lines in the hostel and used desktop computers to enter data obtained through dishonest techniques and make phony calls. According to the police, the defendants, who are dispersed throughout the nation, were given a variety of responsibilities, including IT knowledge. To avoid leaving a paper trail, the employees allegedly got their salaries in cash, as is typical in such businesses.

In order to avoid suspicion, fake call centers frequently relocate and run like fly-by-night enterprises. To keep its operations secret, the fictitious call center purposefully selected a remote site. Similar phone centers pretend as IRS agents or bank personnel have been exposed in the past in Mumbai and its suburbs. These call centers commit fraud to obtain people's bank and financial information.