Microsoft Corporation

06/05/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/05/2025 10:38

Microsoft helps dismantle transnational scam network targeting older adults

On May 28 , 2025 , India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the country's federal police service, executed raids at 19 locations acros s India to dismantle cyber-enabled financial fraud networks, including t ech s upport f raud schemes. This operation , which disrupted a malicious enterprise impersonating Microsoft and targeting older adults in Japan , resulted in the arrest of six key operatives , the takedown of two illegal call centers , and the seizure of digital and physical infrastructure , such as computers, storage devices , digital video recorders , and phones .

Through close collaboration with the Japan Cybercrime Control Center (JC3), a nonprofit organization dedicated to combating cybercrime in Japan , Microsoft 's Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) identified the India-based malicious ecosystem behind these scams . The DCU alerted Japan's National Police Agency (NPA) and CBI, helping them to take decisive action against the individuals behind the operations .

This case represents a n evolution in the DCU's disruption approach for cyber-enabled financial fraud. With the growth of cybercrime-as-a-service , connectivity among cybercriminals has increased and become more global. We must continue to look at the full ecosystem in which these actors o perate and coordinate with multiple international partners to meaningfully address cybercrime . In the case of t ech s upport f raud , where cybercriminals are increasingly using technolo gy like artificial intelligence to scale their operations, we have transitioned away from focusing on individual call centers to targeting the highest levels of the operation and proactively disrupting their technical infrastructure.

The impact of cross-sector collaboration

Our collaboration with JC3 marked the DCU's first partnership with a Japan-based organization to assist victims, proving crucial to the operation's success. On an ongoing basis, JC3 provided actionable identifiers for malicious pop-ups that urged recipients to call fake technical support lines, believing they were contacting Microsoft . Th is information , coupled with additional threat intelligence and signals data , was then analyzed by the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC) , enabl ing Microsoft to proactively take down approximately 66,000 malicious domains and URLs globally since May 2024 . The intelligence gathered was then inte g rated into Microsoft services to strength en them against abuse.

Importantly, the information from JC3 enabled the DCU to identify the broader network behind these scams -encompassing pop-up creators, search-engine optimizers, lead generators, logistics and technology providers, payment processors, and talent providers. These actors used generative AI to scale their operations, including to identify potential victims, automate the creation of malicious pop - up windows , and perform language translations to target Japanese victims. This activity highlights the increasingly sophisticated tactics employed by cybercriminals and underscore s the importance of proactive global collaboration to protect victims .

Continued c ommitment to c ybercrime p revention

Cyber-enabled financial fraud disproportionately targets older adults , and unfortunately, this growing trend is global. A ccording to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center , t ech support fraud was the most frequently reported crime type reported by older Americans ( over 60) in 2023, resulting in nearly $590 million in loss es . T he Global Anti-Scam Alliance reported that, in Japan, the majority of scams target adults over the age of 45 . This was consistent with what we observed in this operation, with approximately 90% of the 200 people affected being over the age of 50.

The DCU has long been at the forefront of combatting sophisticated scams , and o ur ongoing collaboration with global law enforcement has led to hundreds of arrests and increasingly severe prison sentences worldwide. However, as cybercriminals continue to evolve their tactics , we too must take more aggressive action to protect those vulnerable to fraud. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies like AI and expanding collaborations with law enforcement and civil society, the DCU is intensifying its efforts to disrupt cybercrime operations from the top down . We are grateful for our ongoing collaboration partners across sectors and will continue to look for new ways to help protect people from cybercrime .

Important: Microsoft will never send unsolicited email messages or make unsolicited phone calls to request personal or financial information, or to provide technical support to fix your computer. If you have been contacted by someone claiming to be from, or associated with, Microsoft and believe it was a scam , report the incident via our online reporting tool: microsoft.com/ reportascam .

Doing so assists us with our ongoing investigations with law enforcement as we take appropriate action against those targeting our customers. We also use these insights to strengthen our technology to better protect consumers from fraudulent tactics.

For more information on how individuals can protect themselves, please visit: Protect yourself from tech support scams (microsoft.com) .

Tags: cybercrime, Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit, The Digital Crimes Unit

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