NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has dismantled a transnational cybercrime syndicate operating out of Noida’s Special Economic Zone, which orchestrated large-scale tech support scams targeting citizens in the United Kingdom and Australia. The crackdown, executed under Operation Chakra-V , marks a major development in India’s efforts to curb organised cyber fraud.
Elaborate Tech Support Scam Targeted Global Victims
The group operated under the name FirstIdea and impersonated employees of renowned multinational firms like Microsoft. Fraudsters, using sophisticated scripts and voice-masking infrastructure, contacted foreign victims claiming that their devices were infected with malicious software.
These scammers manipulated victims into believing their systems were compromised and convinced them to pay for fake technical assistance, exploiting fear to gain remote access and extort money.
The criminal network was organised around time zones of their targeted regions, particularly the UK and Australia, and used a pre-defined protocol for psychological manipulation. Each operator followed step-by-step dialogue scripts to amplify fear and urgency, often leading to immediate online transactions under duress.
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Advanced Infrastructure Uncovered in CBI Raids
Acting on intelligence inputs, the CBI registered case RC 07/2025 and conducted simultaneous raids at three Noida locations. These raids led to the arrest of a key operative and the seizure of a high-tech calling infrastructure, which had been used to anonymise international VoIP calls and execute malicious scripts in real-time.
The infrastructure, designed to evade detection, contained templates for false security alerts, fake software prompts, and guided tech support interactions. Authorities revealed that the operation had been running under a corporate veil, making detection more challenging.
International cooperation played a crucial role, with the CBI working alongside the FBI, the UK’s National Crime Agency, and Microsoft’s internal fraud investigation team.
The arrested individual has been presented before the Special CBI Court. Investigations are ongoing, with more arrests likely in the coming weeks as digital evidence is further analysed.
