Indian police have arrested a Bengaluru-based criminal enterprise for allegedly targeting US citizens by posing as Microsoft support staff. The transnational cybercriminal organization was charged with false Federal Trade Commission violations for allegedly extorting funds by impersonating Microsoft technical support staff.
According to reports, Indian police claim to have arrested over 21 people associated with the criminal organization, but have not yet disclosed the total number of victims affected and the total amount stolen by the criminals.
But they believe the criminals have siphoned off funds believed to run into the millions of dollars from unsuspecting victims.
Indian police arrest criminal impersonating Microsoft support staff
According to reports, Indian police claimed they acted on a credible tip-off. They gathered a team from the Cyber Force’s Special Cell and investigators from the Whitefield Divisional Cyber Crime Police Station and raided the offices of Mask Communications on the sixth floor of the Delta Building at Sigma Soft Tech Park on Whitefield Main Road. According to search warrants served for the raid, the operation lasted two days, Saturday and Sunday.
During the raid, Indian police seized several devices including laptops, hard drives, mobile phones and other devices. All 21 employees present at the scene were arrested, arraigned in local court, and taken into police custody. An investigation revealed that Musk Communications leased 4,500 square feet of office space in August 2025. Indian police are currently investigating the lease, payments, and the owner’s role in the operation.
“The rent for such a large space is in the hundreds of thousands of rupees. We need to question the building owner on several points,” said a source close to the investigation.
A police officer revealed the group’s modus operandi. He highlighted that the cybercriminal organization allegedly ran several advertisements specifically targeting users in the United States. Officers pointed out that these advertisements contain several codes disguised as legitimate security alerts.
Police vow to crack down on criminals
The officer explained that if a victim accidentally clicked on the ad, the code would freeze their computer and display a pop-up claiming to be from Microsoft Global Technical Support. Additionally, the pop-up may have embedded a fake number for victims to call to repair their device. When a victim calls the number, a scammer posing as a Microsoft engineer claims that the user’s computer has been hacked by bad actors.
The scammers also claim that your IP address has been compromised and your banking data is at serious risk. Criminals concocted frivolous FTC violations to further frighten already frightened victims. Using these as cover, criminals ask victims to pay large sums of money for bogus security fixes and compliance steps to get their devices working properly again.
Police Cyber Command chief Pronab Mohanty said that on the face of it, the criminals may have defrauded the victims of large sums of dollars in multiple digital assets. “Interrogation of the suspects will reveal more details. The operation was based on solid intelligence and important electronic evidence was recovered,” he said.
Indian police are continuing to investigate to trace more people and find financial links.
Meanwhile, the police announced that they will strengthen crackdowns on malicious actors. He also appealed to the public to be aware of this type of fraud and warned against giving in to scammers. Police are also appealing to the public to report any individuals or areas they suspect these criminal elements are using as hideouts, as every tip is important and will help crack down on bad actors and ensure the security of the country.
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