Gurugram Police Crack Fake Apple Support Racket Targeting US Citizens, 11 Held

Gurugram police, in a coordinated cyber-fraud crackdown, have busted a fake call centre in Palam Vihar that targeted US citizens by impersonating Apple customer-service representatives, arresting 11 people in a raid, officials said.

The operation had been running from rented premises for about three months. According to police, the accused used laptops, mobile phones, headsets, X-Lite Dialler software and Apple FaceTime to communicate with foreign nationals in English and pose as Apple support.

The callers allegedly told victims that their mobile phones were infected with viruses or suffering technical problems. They then persuaded them to contact a virtual toll-free number for assistance. To make the deception appear credible and heighten anxiety, the accused allegedly displayed fake Federal Trade Commission (FTC) notices.

Police said the fraudsters used these claims to create fear and urgency before persuading victims to part with sums. Individual victims were allegedly defrauded of USD 10,000 to USD 20,000, while gift voucher or card numbers were obtained fraudulently. The cheated money was then transferred to foreign bank accounts allegedly provided by the call-centre owner.

The 11 arrested accused include nine Delhi residents, with one person each from Odisha and Haryana. Police identified Pritpal Singh as the team leader. The callers were reportedly hired on a commission basis, while another person reportedly managed the wider operation.

Police recovered nine laptops, 20 mobile phones, two headsets/microphones, two cars, a motorcycle and a scooter. A case has been registered at Cyber Crime Police Station West, Gurugram, under relevant sections of the BNS and IT Act.

The investigation is expected to focus on identifying the mastermind and call-centre owner, establishing the roles of other participants and tracing the financial trail. Police will need to examine the foreign bank accounts used to receive the proceeds and determine whether the accused were connected to a larger cyber-fraud network.

The case highlights how overseas technical-support scams can combine trusted brand impersonation with fabricated government warnings to pressure victims into making substantial payments.