Microsoft has announced that it collaborated with Amazon and the Central Bureau Investigation (CBI) of India to smash several criminal operations across Indian cities related to tech support fraud. Microsoft wants to address the issue because its a costly and industry-wide problem.
The illegal call centres that were raided by the CBI were created to impersonate Microsoft and Amazon customer support. Microsoft said they have targeted more than 2,000 customers of the two tech giants in the US, Canada, Germany, Australia, Spain, and the UK.
This is the first time that Microsoft and Amazon have come together to tackle tech support fraud. They said that partnerships like these are important to creating a safer online ecosystem and help to protect more customers.
Microsoft said that criminals operating these types of operations will continue to evolve and attempt to scam customers. It has committed itself to work with Amazon and other international law enforcement agencies to share information and resources to combat illegal operations.
So far, Microsoft’s efforts have led to the raids of 30-plus call centres and more than 100 arrests. To help increase these figures further, Microsoft invites other companies in the industry to help fight criminals.
Microsoft said that the unit responsible for this action is its Digital Crimes Unit (DCU). The DCU works with law enforcement, strengthens products and services to fight fraud, and educates customers about fraud and how to identify, avoid, and report it.
In terms of practical things to look out for, Microsoft said that it never sends unsolicited email messages or makes unsolicited phone calls to request personal or financial information, or to provide tech support to fix your computer. If you need help, you must initiate contact with Microsoft and you should be sceptical about unsolicited messages.
Source: Microsoft