On September 15, the Enforcement Directorate raided four premises in Patiala, Pune and Chandigarh in connection with an alleged fake call centre scam targeting US nationals. The agency detected three fake call centres, with around 220 people working across them. The premises contained several workstations equipped with computers, headsets, mobile phones and networking devices, which were used to contact US nationals and persuade them to make payments using false claims. The ED also seized 66 mobile phones, 13 laptops and other digital devices.

India is a world leader in digital payments. Over 250 billion annual transactions accounting for 50 per cent of global transactions. But this unprecedented growth of digital payments has also seen an alarming rise in digital fraud. Frauds include ‘digital arrests’ where scamsters pretend to be law enforcement officials, looting crores from gullible people over video calls. Nearly 2.5 million Indians have lost some $2.5 billion in 2025, a staggering 4,300% rise since 2021. As the ED raids show, the scams are now traveling overseas.

A week before the raids in Chandigarh, The Diplomat published a report on September 7 about Indian-based networks involved in cross-border cyber scams targeting victims in the United States and other Western countries. On September 8, Pakistan-based website WE News English carried the headline, “India Is World’s Biggest Source of Cyber Scams,” citing The Diplomat report. The reports covered call centre frauds, digital arrest scams, impersonation and financial crime associated with Indian-based networks.

The FBI's 2024 Internet Crime Report said it enabled more than 215 arrests through 11 joint operations with the CBI and other Indian law enforcement agencies. The FBI said 2023 had seen a 700 percent jump in digital crimes originating from India. 

The Numbers in Perspective

Criminal networks involved in cross-border scams are creating a reputational spillover for a sector that depends heavily on its global business relationships. India's technology industry is substantially export-driven. According to NASSCOM, India's IT industry earned about $224 billion from exports in FY2024-25, accounting for roughly 79% of its total industry revenue and hold about 58% of the global technology sourcing market. This underscores the scale of India's legitimate technology business and its dependence on international markets. 

The Diplomat pegged annual global losses from Indian call centre frauds at around $10 billion. The website cited a study by Future Crime Research Foundation from IIT Kanpur. However, the IIT Kanpur study does not report this figure. It only says about 80 percent of reported cybercrime cases in India were concentrated in 10 districts. 

A figure showing that cybercrime is concentrated in certain Indian districts cannot by itself establish that India is the world's largest source of cyber scams. The methodology, definition of cybercrime and comparison with other countries would need to be clear before making such a claim.

Evidence of a Real Threat

The threat arising from frauds cannot be ruled out. Indian-based networks have been repeatedly highlighted in investigations involving foreign victims, with the FBI and Indian authorities working together on call centre and cyber-enabled fraud cases. Indian agencies have also continued to raid and investigate such operations. The problem is also growing within India. Recent Indian cases show how fraud networks operate through bank accounts, SIM cards and digital identities to move money and cover their tracks. 

Such cases establish the need for stronger enforcement, which the Indian state is currently providing. Police and central agencies are investigating these networks, freezing assets and collaborating with foreign law enforcement agencies. The challenge is to enforce the law against the organisers and financial infrastructure of the scams and not just the people making fraudulent calls.

The Reputational Spillover

In the 1990s, the “Nigerian Prince” scam became globally associated with online fraud in which scammers posed as wealthy Nigerian royals or officials, promised victims a large sum of money, and asked them to pay an upfront fee to release or transfer a supposed fortune. It represented only a small section of Nigeria's population and economy. Reports have also documented additional scrutiny faced by legitimate Nigerian users and businesses because of fraud concerns. India's growing association with cross-border call-centre scams raises a similar reputational concern, particularly for a technology sector that depends heavily on international clients.

The concern for India's wider business community arises when individual criminal networks become associated with the country's broader commercial identity. A fake call centre operating from India and an Indian-owned technology company serving foreign clients are two different activities. The location of a criminal operation does not establish a connection with every Indian company operating in the same country or sector.

Reports that broadly associate India with cyber scams can therefore create a reputational risk for legitimate businesses, even when those businesses have no connection with the criminal networks being investigated. India's overseas business presence also extends well beyond technology. The 2026 India Meets Britain Tracker for instance, recorded 1,912 Indian-owned companies operating in the UK, with combined turnover of £105.7 billion and more than 203,000 employees. The companies cover sectors including technology, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, automotive and other services.

There is a straightforward response to Indian-linked cybercrime. Criminal networks targeting foreign victims need to be investigated, their financial infrastructure traced and their organisers prosecuted. Reporting on these crimes also needs to maintain the distinction between criminal networks and legitimate businesses. Indian call centre operators involved in fraud should be identified as part of criminal investigations. Their activities should not automatically be presented as representative of India's wider technology sector or of Indian businesses operating overseas.

India therefore has two separate issues to address. The first is the investigation and disruption of cybercrime networks. The second is ensuring that the actions of those networks are not used to define legitimate Indian companies and entrepreneurs. 

Savio Rodrigues

Savio Rodrigues is a Research Analyst at Escape Velocity MediaWorks Pvt Ltd and writes for Chakra News on Defence, Geopolitics, National Security. He holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Mumbai.