Russia shuts down illegal call centres committing mass fraud in several countries, including India

Moscow: Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) on Monday revealed that it has raided and stopped an international network of call centres that committed mass fraud against citizens of several countries, including India.

Moscow detailed that the “illegal activities” were carried in the interests of D. Kazerashvili, the former Defence Minister of Georgia and founder of the Milton Group, who it said is “currently hiding” in London.

“The call centers were part of an international organised crime group that, under the guise of investment transactions, committed mass fraud against citizens of the EU, Great Britain, Canada, Brazil, India, Japan, etc.

Also Read: Telangana CM Revanth Reddy greets Sonia Gandhi on birthday

Around 100,000 people living in more than 50 countries became victims of their illegal activities. The income from illegal activities reached $1 million per day,” read a statement issued by the FSB, a federal executive body whose activities are overseen by the Russian President Vladimir Putin himself.

The agency has the authority to implement Russian government’s policy in areas of national security, counterterrorism, defence of the state border, protection of internal sea waters, the territorial sea, the exclusive economic zone, the continental shelf and their natural resources, as well as coordinating the counterintelligence efforts of the federal executive bodies.

The FSB statement mentioned that, as a result of operational investigative activities, the heads of the call centres operating in Russia have also been identified, including a citizen of Israel and Ukraine, Keselman Ya.D. (detained) and a citizen of Israel and Georgia, Todva D. (wanted), who in 2022, on instructions from the SBU, organised the dissemination of anonymous messages about terrorist attacks being prepared at critical infrastructure facilities in Moscow, Kursk, Bryansk and Belgorod.

“As part of the criminal case initiated by the Investigative Department of the FSB of Russia, law enforcement officers detained eleven managers and employees of Russian offices of call centres under Article 210 (Organisation of a criminal community), Part 4 of Article 159 (Fraud on an especially large scale), Part 3 of Article 207 (Knowingly false report of an act of terrorism) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Operational search activities and investigative actions continue,” it added.