Indian police have arrested a Bengaluru city-based criminal enterprise accused of posing as Microsoft support staff, targeting citizens of the United States. The transnational cybercrime gang was accused of impersonating Microsoft technical support staff, citing fake Federal Trade Commission violations to extort funds.

According to reports, the Indian police claimed that it has apprehended more than 21 individuals linked to the criminal syndicate, but has yet to determine the total number of victims affected and the total amount stolen by the criminals.

However, they believe that the criminals have siphoned funds believed to be in the region of millions from their unsuspecting victims.

Indian police apprehend criminals impersonating Microsoft support staff

According to reports, the Indian police claimed that they acted on a credible tip-off. They gathered teams from Cyber Command’s special cell and sleuths of the cyber crime police station, Whitefield division, and raided the office of Musk Communications on the 6th floor of the Delta building in Sigma Soft Tech Park, Whitefield Main Road. The operations lasted two days, Saturday and Sunday, according to the search warrant processed for the raid.

During the raid, the Indian police seized several devices, including laptops, hard drives, mobile phones, and other devices. All 21 staffers present were arrested and arraigned before a local court, which remanded them in police custody. Investigations revealed that Musk Communications rented a 4,500 sq ft office space in August 2025. Indian police are now looking into the rental agreements, payments, and the role of the owner in the operations.

“The rent for such a large space runs into several lakhs of rupees. We need to question the building owner on certain points,” an investigating officer said.

A senior police officer shed light on the group’s modus operandi. He highlighted that the cybercrime syndicate allegedly deployed several advertisements, specifically targeting users in the United States. The police officer noted that these advertisements contain several codes masquerading as legitimate security alerts.

Police vow to intensify crackdown on criminals

The officer explained that once the victim mistakenly clicks on the advertisement, the code would freeze the computer and trigger a pop-up claiming to be from Microsoft Global Technical Support. In addition, the pop-up would have been embedded with a fake number for the victims to call to get their devices fixed. When victims call the number, the fraudsters, posing as Microsoft technicians, would claim that the user’s computer has been hacked by bad actors.

In addition, the fraudsters would also claim that the IP address has been compromised and their banking data is at serious risk. The criminals further frightened the already petrified victims by making up frivolous FTC violations. Using these as a cover, the criminals would then ask their victims to pay large sums of money for bogus security fixes or compliance procedures so that things can run normally on their devices again.

Director General of Police, Cyber Command Unit, Pronab Mohanty, mentioned that at first glance, the criminals may have scammed victims of sizable chunks of dollars in several digital assets. “A detailed picture will emerge as we question the suspects. The operation was based on solid intelligence, and significant electronic evidence has been recovered,” he said.

Indian police are still investigating to trace more individuals and find financial links.

Meanwhile, police have vowed to intensify their crackdown against bad actors. They have also urged the general public to be aware of these sorts of fraudulent activities, warning them not to give in to these scammers. The police have also urged the population to report individuals and areas that they suspect these criminal elements may be using as their hideouts, as every tip-off matters, and it will help them crack down on the bad actors and secure the country.

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