‘Your computer is hacked’: How fake Microsoft staff duped US seniors via Bitcoin ATMs

In 2022, American seniors began receiving fraudulent calls from men posing as "Microsoft employees." The callers claimed their computers had been hacked and their bank accounts compromised. They then directed the seniors to Bitcoin ATMs, instructing them to deposit cash to purchase software that would supposedly resolve the supposed security issue.

The victims followed the advice, only later realizing they had been scammed. Some seniors reported the incident to US authorities, leading the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to take action. On July 27, the CBI filed charges against three scammers, including alleged mastermind Saurabh Rana, for criminal conspiracy and cheating by impersonation using a computer resource.

Rana, along with his co-accused, were arrested in August. The investigation revealed that the scammers targeted American nationals using an organized tech-support scam, impersonating representatives from technology companies, financial institutions, and law-enforcement agencies. The extorted money was converted into cryptocurrency and moved through a chain of crypto wallets before being routed into Indian banking systems, defrauding victims of hundreds of crores of rupees.

The cryptocurrency trail provided a link between at least one victim and Rana's account. Rana allegedly operated a Binance account linked to his Aadhaar card, which received a significant share of the fraud proceeds. The CBI alleged that the syndicate operated from Punjab and Delhi, with Rana as the main conspirator and mastermind.

During bail proceedings, the court denied Rana's release, citing his alleged leadership of the cyber-fraud syndicate and the recovery of incriminating WhatsApp chats. The investigation uncovered about 30 digital devices and ongoing examination of digital evidence to unravel the full extent of the conspiracy.