It is easy to picture a scammer as a lone figure at a laptop. This documented case shows the truth: a full office with staff, scripts, and a front company, running fraud against elderly people thousands of miles away. It is worth knowing because the scale explains why these calls feel so polished.
How this scam works
A call center in Gurugram, Haryana ran fake tech support and refund scams aimed at older victims in the United States and United Kingdom.
The operation hid behind a front company called Faremart Travels, blending in as an ordinary business.
In 2020 the scambaiters Jim Browning and Karl Rock, working with a BBC Panorama investigation, gained access and gathered evidence.
They captured drone footage, hacked CCTV from inside the office, and recorded calls that tied the operator to the fraud.
The evidence went to authorities and the operator was arrested by Delhi Police. Indian agencies have kept raiding similar centers since.
Red flags
- Polished, confident agents. The professionalism comes from training and scripts, not legitimacy.
- Toll free US numbers that feel local but route to an overseas office.
- The same tech support and refund scripts described elsewhere on this site.
What to do
- Treat any unsolicited tech support or refund call as a scam no matter how professional it sounds.
- Report scams to the FTC and FBI IC3. Reports build the intelligence that leads to raids like this one.
- Share what you learn with older relatives, who are the main targets.
How to report this scam
See the full reporting guide for every US agency and what each one handles.
Watch it happen
Frequently asked questions
Are Indian authorities acting on these scams?
Yes. Delhi Police and other Indian agencies have raided and arrested operators of scam call centers, including after evidence from investigations like the BBC Panorama case, and enforcement has continued through 2025.
How big are these operations?
Some employ dozens of people with managers, scripts, and sales targets, which is why the calls feel so rehearsed and why one center can harm many victims.
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