Amazon & Microsoft team up with CBI to bust multiple tech support scams across India

These call centres had duped more than 2,000 Amazon and Microsoft customers mainly in the US, but also in other countries like Australia, Canada, Germany, Spain, and the UK. Amazon says that this operation was based on a joint criminal referral made with Microsoft through joint prosecution agreements in the US and India, as they shared a common enemy. Both companies provided the CBI with evidence and information to enhance the effectiveness of this operation.

Scammers often use the names of Microsoft and Amazon to lure unsuspecting customers, pretending to be trusted entities. Both companies have stated in the press release that they will continue to work with Indian law enforcement agencies as well as authorities from other affected countries to tackle this industry-wide problem.

“Amazon will remain vigilant and persistent in our efforts to stay one step ahead of fraudsters, but we cannot win this fight alone. We encourage others in the industry to join us as a united front against criminal activity,” said Kathy Sheehan, vice president and associate general counsel, Business Conduct & Ethics.

CBI LAUNCHES OPERATION CHAKRA-II TO COMBAT AND DISMANTLE ORGANIZED CYBER ENABLED FINANCIAL CRIMES;
DURING NATIONWIDE CRACKDOWN, SEARCHES CONDUCTED AT AROUND 76 LOCATIONS; LARGE NUMBER OF DIGITAL GADGETS INCLUDING LAPTOPs, HARD DISC ETC RECOVERED pic.twitter.com/0Jx1DdQ2o9

— Central Bureau of Investigation (India) (@CBIHeadquarters) October 19, 2023

Amazon also revealed that it had taken down more than 20,000 phishing websites and 10,000 phone numbers that were part of impersonation schemes in 2022, and reported hundreds of bad actors around the world to authorities.

To prevent such scams, the ecommerce giant advises customers to verify their orders and communication history directly on Amazon by logging into their account and visiting the Message Center. It also reminds that Amazon will never ask for payment over the phone or email, only on its mobile app, website, or physical stores.