In a major breakthrough against international cybercrime, Lucknow Police have dismantled an alleged fake Apple Support call centre that was targeting citizens in the United States through sophisticated tech support scams.
Police at the city’s cybercrime unit arrested six suspects and seized computers, mobile phones, internet networking equipment, and other electronic devices which may have been used in the fraudulent operation.
Police officials said the illegal call centre operated under the guise of giving technical assistance to Apple users. The suspects impersonated Apple customer support personnel and reached out to victims by saying that their Apple devices or accounts were hacked and they needed to act immediately to protect their accounts, and to trick them into following the instructions, investigators said.
The suspects targeted individuals living in the United States, authorities said. Victims were contacted by fake phone numbers, pop-up alerts, and other deceptive online means that appeared to be legitimate, they said. By pretending to be Apple's “real customer service representatives,” the fraudsters had secured the trust of victims and were looking to invade their computers or convince them to give money in order to resolve technical problems.
At this current stage, police said preliminary investigations show that the suspects were trained to follow well-worded scripts, communicate in a confident manner, and take advantage of common concerns about cybersecurity among computer users. The group is being investigated by investigators to determine whether it was connected to a much larger international cybercrime network that operates similar fraudulent call centres across the globe, the police said.
Law enforcement officers seized several laptops, desktop computers, hard drives, mobile phones, internet routers, and documents believed to contain operational records during the raid. Forensic examinations of the seized electronic equipment are underway to identify more victims, financial transactions, communication records, and possible overseas connections, officials said.
The cybercrime unit is also working together with central investigative agencies and international law enforcement agencies to investigate the full extent of the alleged fraud. Because most of the victims are believed to be foreign, authorities may ask for assistance in international cooperation to trace financial transfers and identify additional people involved in the operation.
Tech support scams are now one of the fastest-growing types of cyber fraud. Criminal groups often impersonate technology companies software manufacturers, internet service providers, device makers and demand payment for false service. Victims are told that their computers have viruses, their accounts have been hacked, or that they need to renew their subscriptions. Fraudsters then demand payment for fake repair services or get victims to install remote-access software that can take them to the dark side.
Cybersecurity experts emphasize that legitimate technology companies rarely make unsolicited phone calls asking for remote access, passwords, one-time passwords (OTPs), banking information, or immediate payments. Users should verify any of these kinds of suspicious messages using their own websites or customer support channels instead of answering unsolicited messages or pop-up alerts.
Lucknow Police have advised people to be vigilant about online scams and report suspicious calls, emails, and websites to cybercrime authorities immediately. They have also urged family members (e.g., elderly people) to help them identify tech support scams because of the lack of knowledge of current cyber threats.
The successful operation underlines how Indian law enforcement agencies are taking cybercrime more seriously and their efforts are expanding beyond national borders. With digital fraud becoming more sophisticated, police departments across the country are beefing up cyber investigation units, building digital forensic capabilities, and working with international agencies to disrupt organized cybercrime syndicates.
Authorities are also trying to determine the total amount allegedly defrauded, identify additional victims, and uncover any financial networks used to move illicit proceeds. Further arrests could follow as detectives analyze digital evidence from the raid, which is still being collected, and find out if there are more arrests for money laundering and fraud.
Indian/Pakistani scammer call centers blast my phone daily now. I am absolutely livid about this and it gets worse the more I investigate just how bad this is getting in Canada. Every number in my screenshot is a recent test call to my phone from some call center. It is constant… pic.twitter.com/8uuyaf9zuN
— David Whitehead (@TruthWarriorDad) July 23, 2026
This case emphasizes the need for internet users to be wary of unsolicited technical support offers. Users should have multi-factor authentication in place, keep software updated regularly, avoid downloading untrustworthy apps, and never share sensitive financial or personal information with unverified callers, experts say.
As cybercriminals come up with new techniques, awareness is still a good way to prevent online fraud. Law enforcement is increasingly focused on protecting both domestic and international victims from the increasingly complex cyber scams, and this Lucknow Police action is evidence of that.
