Navi Mumbai police arrested 13 people after a fake Apple support centre allegedly targeted US citizens through crypto scams. Police raided the Mahape call centre on August 13 after receiving information about the operation.
The accused allegedly posed as Apple support staff and bank officials to frighten victims into moving money. The racket used fake alerts, scripted calls, crypto wallets and gift cards to collect funds.
Police raided TradeXpert Services at Unit No. 24, Mahape MBP, around 11 pm on August 13. The operation allegedly targeted American citizens through messages claiming an unauthorised $499 transaction from their bank accounts.
Victims who called the given number reached agents posing as Apple technical support representatives. The agents allegedly claimed a virus had compromised their devices and threatened their bank accounts.
The callers then transferred victims to fake bank officials using fabricated American identities. These operators allegedly instructed victims to move funds into supposedly secure accounts. Instead, the accused directed payments toward cryptocurrency wallets using QR codes.
Victims who refused crypto transfers allegedly faced another demand involving Apple gift cards. The accused allegedly asked victims to purchase cards and share their 16 digit numbers. Team leaders also allegedly collected bank card numbers, expiry dates and CVVs from victims.
Police seized 255 SIM cards, six phones, two servers, two SIM boxes and two CPUs. Investigators also recovered nine cheque books, a laptop and printed scripts used during the calls.
Police traced 5,301 USDT collected between May 6 and June 6, worth nearly Rs. 5.03 lakh. The investigation may reveal larger losses after police trace additional transactions and linked accounts.
Police arrested manager Parth Bharatbhai Patel, three team leaders and nine agents. The alleged masterminds remain absconding, with police searching for Mustafa Khan, Zareen and associates.
Police said, “Alleged masterminds Mustafa Khan, his wife Zareen, and associates Purvank Shrimali alias ‘KR’, Iggy and Sheikh Bhai are absconding.”
Police registered the case under several Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections covering cheating, personation and related offences.
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