THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : If familiarity can breed contempt, similarity can breed crime! State police have initiated an elaborate exercise to identify Malayalis employed abroad as call-centre executives with firms engaged in cyber crime. The cyber investigation wing launched the mission after scammers struck havoc, swindling nearly 23,750 people in the state of around Rs 200 crore last year.
In most of the cases, victims were defrauded by call-centre executives hailing from the state. The investigation has so far revealed the involvement of nearly 100 people working for companies operating out of the UAE, Cambodia and Indonesia. Of these, nearly 15 have been identified, said top police sources.
Most of the scammers, which includes women, collect leads on potential targets and then place their calls to lure them into investing in fraudulent schemes. Sources said the firms employ people who are fluent in English as well as local languages. The telecallers hailing from Kerala are entrusted with the task of contacting targets in the state.
The investigation has revealed that most of the scams emanating from the UAE were carried out by Chinese firms.
Malayalis, who mostly arrive on visit visas, are baited by firms that offer attractive remuneration.
They are also offered other benefits, including a commission on the amount they fleece from victims. These firms also use bank accounts of Keralites to carry out online transactions of the fraudulently obtained cash and a percentage of the amount is paid as commission.
“It was by following the digital footprints that we managed to track and unmask the identity of 15 people. We are planning to take legal action against some,” said a source.
‘We might get some of them extradited & collect info’
“We might also get some of them extradited and once they are here, we would glean information from them about the other Keralites who are part of the racket,” said the source.
Sources said the scamming firms advertise job vacancies mostly via Telegram. The recruitment is also done with the help of current and former employees, who are offered 1,000 UAE dirhams as commission. The investigation also revealed that managers of several firms are women from Kerala, sources said.