Delhi Police busts cyber fraud syndicate, three held for phishing scam

The Delhi Police has taken down a structured cyber fraud ring functioning throughout India and apprehended three main members of the group for setting up fraudulent banking sites and phishing links to trick unwary victims, an official stated on Wednesday. The defendant employed sophisticated digital methods to unlawfully acquire confidential banking data, resulting in extensive financial fraud, he stated.

“The gang targeted people by impersonating representatives of a renowned bank, offering lucrative credit card deals. Victims were sent phishing links that directed them to counterfeit banking websites designed to collect their personal and financial information,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Nidhin Valsan said.

The officer additionally stated that the con artists used Remote Desktop Protocol to conceal their online traces and conducted their scam via deceptive hosting services.

Authorities have connected more than 500 reports to this fraud via a platform of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The syndicate is thought to have established over 10 phishing sites for their deceptive activities. The operation began following a report received on February 11 through the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal.

Harikesh Kumar Yadav, the complainant from Siraspur, Delhi, filed a report about a fraudulent transaction amounting to ₹21,400 after he clicked on a phishing link presenting as a credit card offer from a private bank. He mentioned that his other credit card was later misused for unauthorized transactions.

After the complaint, an investigation was initiated, and a FIR was filed. Raids took place at various sites in Delhi, such as Rama Vihar, Shiv Vihar, and Tatesar village. The scammers reached out to victims, presenting them with new credit cards. They dispatched phishing links through SMS or email, leading users to counterfeit banking sites where their credentials were compromised. “To circumvent security protocols, the suspect deceived victims into installing harmful apps that captured OTPs, facilitating unauthorized transactions,” stated the DCP.

The officer stated that Jaideep employed DuckDNS to create deceptive domains and developed fake websites using PHP. Rakesh managed the call centre, whereas Ajay procured SIM cards for illegal purposes.