India’s hard-won reputation as the world’s back office, built on trusted call-centre and IT services, is coming under pressure as increasingly sophisticated cyber scam networks emerge within the same digital ecosystem that underpins its outsourcing success.
A police raid late last month on a Hyderabad call centre that allegedly trained tele-callers to mimic Australian accents has sharpened those concerns, with analysts warning that organised fraud rings could erode confidence in India’s service industry.
According to local media reports, the callers had contacted Australian citizens by falsely warning that their computer systems had been hacked or compromised, then coaxed them into handing over remote access that allegedly enabled the criminals to infiltrate bank accounts.
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The stolen funds were redirected to other Australian bank accounts before being transferred to India through illegal channels.
“These operations are no longer ‘old school’ crude phishing outfits, but are professional units replete with linguistic training and cross-border coordination, signalling a shift from low-skill fraud to high-sophistication social engineering ecosystems,” said Raj Kapoor, president of the India Blockchain Alliance think tank.
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