HYDERABAD: Cybercrime police have uncovered a call centre operating from two flats in Narsingi that allegedly targeted US citizens in the name of PayPal customer care.
The Cyberabad cybercrime police received complaints that the operators sent fake emails posing as customer support representatives of PayPal, an international online payments platform. They allegedly cheated victims of large sums of money by offering to resolve technical problems.
Police searched flats 401 and 402 in a residential complex on Narsingi's Caterpillar Road and seized 10 laptops, 13 mobile phones, seven headphones, three Wi-Fi routers and seven chargers.
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According to police, Adnan Ahmed and Syed Balawal Imam, alias Shadal, had been running the call centre from a rented residential complex in Narsingi since February 2025. They initially started the operation in Bengaluru and later shifted it to Kolkata before moving to Narsingi.
The operators continued their activities from rented flats in Narsingi. They recruited telecallers and provided them with accommodation, food, salaries and incentives, police said.
Fake emails used to lure victims
The operators allegedly collected the email details of US citizens and sent them fake messages claiming that unauthorised transactions had taken place in their PayPal accounts.
The emails instructed recipients to call a toll-free number provided in the message if they wanted a refund within eight hours.
In some cases, the operators sent emails claiming that an electronic device needed repairs or that the recipient was facing a software problem. A person identified as Suvo Mondal allegedly persuaded victims to call for assistance.
The operators received incoming calls from victims through the MicroSIP application on laptops and the PortSIP application on mobile phones.
They allegedly told victims that they had to pay charges to get their problems resolved.
Gift cards and cryptocurrency used to collect money
Police said the investigation had identified nine people in connection with the transactions. The operation allegedly involved collecting money through Apple gift cards and cryptocurrency.
The investigation is continuing.