Indian Authorities Bust Cybercriminals Posing as Microsoft Tech Support

India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the nation’s federal law enforcement agency, launched a sweeping operation targeting cyber-enabled financial fraud networks.

Raids at 19 locations across India dismantled a sophisticated tech support scam operation impersonating Microsoft, primarily victimizing older adults in Japan.

Major Crackdown on Tech Support Fraud Networks

The operation led to the arrest of six key operatives, the shutdown of two illicit call centers, and the confiscation of critical digital infrastructure, including computers, storage devices, digital video recorders, and mobile phones.

This coordinated effort disrupted a malicious ecosystem exploiting vulnerable populations through advanced cybercriminal tactics, showcasing the escalating global nature of such frauds.

The success of this operation hinged on unprecedented international collaboration between the CBI, Japan’s Cybercrime Control Center (JC3), Japan’s National Police Agency (NPA), and Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit (DCU).

Microsoft’s DCU, supported by threat intelligence from the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC), identified approximately 66,000 malicious domains and URLs since May 2024, proactively neutralizing them to protect users globally.

JC3 provided critical data on malicious pop-ups mimicking Microsoft security alerts, often written in Japanese, that tricked users into contacting fraudulent tech support lines.

AI-Powered Scams Uncovered

The DCU’s analysis revealed a sprawling network of cybercriminals leveraging generative AI to scale their operations, from crafting automated malicious pop-ups to translating content for targeted attacks on Japanese victims.

This sophisticated use of AI underscores the evolving technical prowess of cybercriminals, with actors ranging from pop-up creators and search-engine optimizers to payment processors and logistics providers forming a cohesive, globalized fraud ecosystem.

According to the Report, Microsoft integrated these insights into its services to bolster defenses against such abuse, marking a strategic shift from targeting individual call centers to disrupting the higher echelons of these criminal operations.

This case highlights the disproportionate impact of tech support fraud on older adults, with around 90% of the 200 identified victims in Japan being over 50 years old a trend mirrored globally.

As per the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, tech support scams were the most reported crime among Americans over 60 in 2023, causing losses nearing $590 million.

The Global Anti-Scam Alliance also notes that in Japan, most scams target individuals over 45, amplifying the urgency for robust countermeasures.

Microsoft’s DCU remains committed to combating these threats through cutting-edge technologies and expanded partnerships with law enforcement and civil society, aiming for top-down disruption of cybercrime networks.

The public is reminded that Microsoft never initiates unsolicited contact for personal information or technical support, and suspected scams should be reported via microsoft.com/reportascam to aid ongoing investigations.

This operation exemplifies the power of cross-sector collaboration in tackling the increasingly complex and AI-driven landscape of cyber-enabled financial fraud, setting a precedent for future global efforts to safeguard digital spaces.

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