Probe on to look for collaborators in US.
The Mira Road call center racket in Thane, Maharashtra, that cheated thousands of American citizens had well-planned training modules to help its employees talk to the people in the US.
The employees working in the call center posed themselves as US Revenue Department officials and the victims were asked for the bank details after which the caller hacked into the bank account transferring money without the knowledge of the account holder.
According to a report in Scroll.in, the employees of the call centers – most of them were young men and women in their 20s and 30s – were provided with a script based on anticipatory responses.
Some of the conversations, according to the report, went like this.
Statement: Where are you calling me from?
Answer: I am calling you from the INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE HEADQUARTERS which is located in Washington DC.
Statement: Where was the miscalculation (error) found?
Answer: Well, Mr. customer let me make you aware that we are calling you from the investigation departments and not from the audit department and hence we cannot help you to where did you do the mistakes (sic).
The employees were also trained to answer all kind of possible questions that were likely to be asked by the people. When someone asked the callers about not sending paperwork by mail, they would be told that efforts made by the revenue department to reach them were failed and no further paperwork would be sent as the matter was under court’s consideration.
In some cases, the callers were trained to be aggressive to persuade the citizens to make payment. They asked questions like, “What is your intention now, would you like to resolve this case or are you looking for a dispute?”
The police had detained more than 500 employees after raiding the call centers on Tuesday last week. 73 employees of the call centers were arrested in connection with the case after interrogation. Thirteen accused have been sent to police custody and rest to judicial custody by Thane magistrate on Monday.
Most of the employees were junior callers who had joined the company just weeks or months ago. Many of them did not know actually what was happening in the call center. They were just following what their higher ups ordered them to do.
“It just didn’t seem right. The American Internal Revenue Service doesn’t call anyone,” an employee told Scroll when he was brought to the court on Monday.
The employees were not provided with identity badge. There was no work contract and salary slips and the employees were paid directly in cash.
Some of the employees realized what was going on just a few days before the police conducted the raids, said relatives.
“Our children are also victims. They were only employees, doing as they were told,” a relative was quoted as saying by Scroll.
“The police needs to go after the masterminds, not the employees, who were the small fry,” said a relative of another one.
Police have confirmed that the call centers used a software that hides the number original number and it also ensured that the receiver gets call only from a US number. The call centers were also training the employees to speak American accent and were also given a daily target to achieve. According to Police, the call centers had a daily turnover of over 10 million.
According to the police, the mastermind Shahgar Thakkar, alias Shaggy, is a 23-year-old youth who is on the run since Thane police raided the call center. Some reports claim that Shaggy may have fled India fearing arrest.
Seven floors of the nine-storey building were owned by the call center with each floor having 70 to 120 employees. The top floor was assigned for those making as low as $150,000 per month and the lowest floors were for those making $500,000-$700,000 per month.
According to the reports, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is believed to have approached the Thane police for case details.
The probe also is inquiring about the role of agents based in the US, who earned a 30% commission for every successful trap.
Police say that Mira Road agents got a 70% commission every time and a victim was targeted by two callers. The job was even advertised through stickers in local trains, offering an attractive package to unemployed youth.