--- title: Tech Support Scam finally busted in India description: The FBI was able to crack down on a large scale tech support scheme with the help of an Informant. With this operation going on since 2017. image: https://blog.uat.edu/hubfs/Tech_Support_Scammer_Fake_BSOD_Virus_Popup.png --- [![image-26](https://blog.uat.edu/hs-fs/hubfs/Marketing/Logos/image-26.png?width=99&name=image-26.png "image-26")](https://www.uat.edu/) ** - [Home](https://www.uattech.com) - [Majors](http://www.uat.edu/advancing-technology-degrees) - [About UAT](https://www.uat.edu/about-uat) - [Request More Information](https://www.uat.edu/request-info) [![Take a Virtual, Interactive Tour ](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/3455363/92ff0e66-7821-430b-88c3-a32c82c5bda2.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/3455363/92ff0e66-7821-430b-88c3-a32c82c5bda2) # What's happening on UAT's campus- A blog published by UAT Students. ALL CATEGORIES - [all Categories](https://blog.uat.edu) - [ Advancing Computer Science ](https://www.uattech.com/tag/advancing-computer-science) - [ Advertising Art ](https://www.uattech.com/tag/advertising-art) - [ Artificial Intelligence ](https://www.uattech.com/tag/artificial-intelligence) - [ Business Technology ](https://www.uattech.com/tag/business-technology) - [ Cyber Security ](https://www.uattech.com/tag/cyber-security) - [ Data Science ](https://www.uattech.com/tag/data-science) - [ Digital Maker and Fabrication ](https://www.uattech.com/tag/digital-maker-and-fabrication) - [ Digital Marketing ](https://www.uattech.com/tag/digital-marketing) - [ Digital Video ](https://www.uattech.com/tag/digital-video) - [ Game Studies ](https://www.uattech.com/tag/game-studies) - [ Human Computer Interaction ](https://www.uattech.com/tag/human-computer-interaction) - [ Robotics and Embedded Systems ](https://www.uattech.com/tag/robotics-and-embedded-sytems) - [ Software Engineering ](https://www.uattech.com/tag/software-engineering) - [ Virtual Reality ](https://www.uattech.com/tag/virtual-reality) - [ Alumni ](https://www.uattech.com/tag/alumni) - [ Behind the Bits Magazine ](https://www.uattech.com/tag/behind-the-bits) - [ Career and Work ](https://www.uattech.com/tag/career-and-work) - [ Competitions ](https://www.uattech.com/tag/competitions) - [ Events ](https://www.uattech.com/tag/events) - [ Geek411 Magazine ](https://www.uattech.com/tag/geek-411) - [ Graduate Studies ](https://www.uattech.com/tag/graduate-studies) - [ Military ](https://www.uattech.com/tag/military) - [ People, Places and Things ](https://www.uattech.com/tag/people-places-and-things) - [ Perimeter83 ](https://www.uattech.com/tag/Perimeter83) - [ Student Innovation Project (SIP) ](https://www.uattech.com/tag/student-innovation-project) - [ Student Work ](https://www.uattech.com/tag/student-work) - [ Technology News ](https://www.uattech.com/tag/technology-news) - [ UAT Life ](https://www.uattech.com/tag/UAT-life) - [ UAT News ](https://www.uattech.com/tag/UAT-news) [Cyber Security](https://blog.uat.edu/tag/cyber-security)   |   5 Min Read ## Tech Support Scam finally busted in India ![Picture of Marcos Xochihua](https://blog.uat.edu/hubfs/thumbnail_Image.jpg) [ Written by Marcos Xochihua ](https://blog.uat.edu/author/marcos-xochihua) US authorities have charged three suspects that took part in a huge tech support scam campaign. With the help of FBI agents arresting one of their co-conspirators then used him as an informant. The Informant gave enough evidence with court documents detailing the whole scheme which gives a peek at the techniques and the inner workings of a tech support scam. One of the suspects which was arrested pleaded guilty.   ![Tech_Support_Scammer_Fake_BSOD_Virus_Popup](https://blog.uat.edu/hubfs/Tech_Support_Scammer_Fake_BSOD_Virus_Popup.png)   While actions were just now taken this has been an investigation since May 2019. The FBI arrested the Indian national on fraud charges. The informant agreed to cooperate with the FBI to seek leniency from US authorities in the case. He admitted to the authorities he was a member of the tech support scheme and he even gave up the names of three others who were involved in the scheme. Two of the members owned actual call centers in India while the third lived in the US as was a "Money Mule" receiving money from the scammed victims into his US account then transferring the money to the Call Center Operators. The informant's role was that he was a broker. He sold any of the "call traffic" and his role was the second stage of the whole tech support scheme. The first stage is the publishers, they are ones who make the tech support scheme with misleading errors and pop-ups that urge users to call a toll-free number. They run ads on social media platforms and various websites for many different topics but as users clicked on the ads they are then redirected to the malicious sites. Some of these errors posed as Microsoft security alerts saying the machine was infected with malware.   Brokers operated as intermediaries between the publishers and the call centers. Brokers managed the telephony servers. Which they sold the "call traffic" to a call center operator willing to buy it. Some of the traffic was sold to other brokers, who had active call centers with free capacity. The informant said that most of the transactions took place via WhatsApp and other online chat apps. How it would work is that Call center owners would get in touch with the brokers, agree to a price per unit of calls, then provide a number to which the broker could re-route calls from tech support scam victims. The Victims were all elderly citizens who lacked technical skills to determine that the security alert was a fraud. The worst part is how some call operators were able to convince some of the victims to allow remote access on their computers and download the software for them all in hopes of "fixing" their issue. Any money received as payments, or surreptitiously stolen from victims' bank accounts, would then be transferred to the Money Mule. The Court documents list only a few of the victims who lost money as part of these scams with a total estimated loss of around ~ $10,000s USD. But the FBI determined this tech support operation has been ongoing since 2017 and believe there is a lot more money that has been lost. While the Call Center operators are at large in India. A money mule was arrested earlier this year and is facing charges up to 20 years in prison. - [** ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://blog.uat.edu/tech-support-scam-finally-busted-in-india&title=Tech%20Support%20Scam%20finally%20busted%20in%20India&picture=https://learn.uat.edu/hubfs/Tech_Support_Scammer_Fake_BSOD_Virus_Popup.png&description=The%20FBI%20was%20able%20to%20crack%20down%20on%20a%20large%20scale%20tech%20support%20scheme%20with%20the%20help%20of%20an%20Informant.%20With%20this%20operation%20going%20on%20since%202017.) - [** ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?source=https://blog.uat.edu/tech-support-scam-finally-busted-in-india&text=Tech%20Support%20Scam%20finally%20busted%20in%20India) - [** ](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://blog.uat.edu/tech-support-scam-finally-busted-in-india&title=Tech%20Support%20Scam%20finally%20busted%20in%20India&summary=The%20FBI%20was%20able%20to%20crack%20down%20on%20a%20large%20scale%20tech%20support%20scheme%20with%20the%20help%20of%20an%20Informant.%20With%20this%20operation%20going%20on%20since%202017.) - [** ](mailto:?subject=Tech%20Support%20Scam%20finally%20busted%20in%20India&body=Tech%20Support%20Scam%20finally%20busted%20in%20India%20https://blog.uat.edu/tech-support-scam-finally-busted-in-india) ### Don't forget to share this post! - [** ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://blog.uat.edu/tech-support-scam-finally-busted-in-india&title=Tech%20Support%20Scam%20finally%20busted%20in%20India&picture=https://learn.uat.edu/hubfs/Tech_Support_Scammer_Fake_BSOD_Virus_Popup.png&description=The%20FBI%20was%20able%20to%20crack%20down%20on%20a%20large%20scale%20tech%20support%20scheme%20with%20the%20help%20of%20an%20Informant.%20With%20this%20operation%20going%20on%20since%202017.) - [** ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?source=https://blog.uat.edu/tech-support-scam-finally-busted-in-india&text=Tech%20Support%20Scam%20finally%20busted%20in%20India) - [** ](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://blog.uat.edu/tech-support-scam-finally-busted-in-india&title=Tech%20Support%20Scam%20finally%20busted%20in%20India&summary=The%20FBI%20was%20able%20to%20crack%20down%20on%20a%20large%20scale%20tech%20support%20scheme%20with%20the%20help%20of%20an%20Informant.%20With%20this%20operation%20going%20on%20since%202017.) - [** ](mailto:?subject=Tech%20Support%20Scam%20finally%20busted%20in%20India&body=Tech%20Support%20Scam%20finally%20busted%20in%20India%20https://blog.uat.edu/tech-support-scam-finally-busted-in-india) ### Comment ## Related Articles [Cyber Security](https://blog.uat.edu/tag/cyber-security) [UAT News](https://blog.uat.edu/tag/uat-news) ### [FBI Cyber Academy at UAT Inspires the Next Generation of Cyber Defenders](https://blog.uat.edu/fbi-cyber-academy-at-uat-inspires-the-next-generation-of-cyber-defenders) [![Picture of Jake Henningsen](https://blog.uat.edu/hubfs/Fabcom_UATPortraits20245216-MOD.jpg) Jake Henningsen ](https://blog.uat.edu/author/jake-henningsen) 5 Min Read [UAT clubs](https://blog.uat.edu/tag/uat-clubs) [Cyber Security](https://blog.uat.edu/tag/cyber-security) ### [UAT Cyber Ninjas: Cyber Club and Competition Team](https://blog.uat.edu/uat-cyber-ninjas-cyber-club-and-competition-team) At University of Advancing Technology (UAT), the Cyber Ninjas competition team stands as a cornerstone of our cybersecurity community. We're more than just a club—we are a diverse group of passionate ... [![Picture of Ozzy James](https://blog.uat.edu/hubfs/97-IMG_2774.jpg) Ozzy James ](https://blog.uat.edu/author/ozzy-james) 5 Min Read [Events](https://blog.uat.edu/tag/events) [Artificial Intelligence](https://blog.uat.edu/tag/artificial-intelligence) ### [TechFusion Conference: A Transformative Involvement for Students](https://blog.uat.edu/techfusion-conference-a-transformative-involvement-for-students) University of Advancing Technology (UAT) Cyber Security Student Alexis Sloan attended the AZ Tech Council Event on Tuesday March 25th. She discusses the opportunities and learning experience the ... [![Picture of Alexis Sloan](https://blog.uat.edu/hubfs/0823_UAT%20Wordmark%20EXL-69.jpg) Alexis Sloan ](https://blog.uat.edu/author/alexis-sloan) 5 Min Read [![UAT-Logo-new](https://blog.uat.edu/hs-fs/hubfs/Logos,%20Buttons,%20Icons%20(Non%20UAT)/UAT-Logo-new.jpg?width=151&name=UAT-Logo-new.jpg "UAT-Logo-new")](https://www.uat.edu/) UAT Tech is a blog by the University of Advancing Technology - [** ](https://www.instagram.com/uatedu) - [** ](https://twitter.com/uatedu) - [** ](https://www.linkedin.com/company/uatedu) - [** ](https://www.youtube.com/user/UATProductions) Want More? - [Learn More About UAT](https://www.uat.edu/request-info) - [Apply Now](https://uatfastapp.com/) - [Student Life Blog](https://blog.uat.edu/) Contact Us **Email: [ admissions@uat.edu ](mailto:admissions@uat.edu) **Phone: [ +1 800-658-5744 ](tel:+1%20800-658-5744) **Address: 2625 W Baseline Rd, Tempe, AZ 85283 Copyright @ 2026.The University of Advancing Technology. ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Marcos Xochihua", "url" : "https://blog.uat.edu/author/marcos-xochihua" }, "dateModified" : "2021-07-06T20:24:02.342Z", "datePublished" : "2020-08-27T20:23:00.000Z", "headline" : "Tech Support Scam finally busted in India", "image" : [ "https://blog.uat.edu/hubfs/Tech_Support_Scammer_Fake_BSOD_Virus_Popup.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.uat.edu/tech-support-scam-finally-busted-in-india", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.uat.edu/hubfs/front%20no%20shadow-2.png" }, "name" : "University of Advancing Technology" } } ```