The FSB announced the dismantling of an international network of criminal call centers that had promised to make investments in securities and other assets against fictitious contracts with citizens of more than 50 countries, including India.
The FSB said it considered the call centers to be part of a global criminal group led by D. Kazerashvili, a former Minister of Defense of Georgia, and founder of the Milton Group. According to REN TV, Kazerashvili hides in London and orchestrated the operations of these so-called call centers, which brought in close to 1 million dollars a day.
Which countries did these criminal call centers target?
The list of victims also includes residents of countries like the EU member states, the UK, Canada, Brazil, India, and Japan. It is reported that the scam has caught about 100,000 people all over the world.
The FSB further revealed that several leaders of these call centers, operating within Russia, have been identified. Among them are Keselman Ya.D., a citizen of Israel and Ukraine, who has been detained, and Todva D., a citizen of Israel and Georgia, who remains at large. Todva is also accused of spreading false reports about terror threats in Russian cities, allegedly under the orders of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) in 2022.
The agency said that it had arrested eleven people, including the managers and staff of the Russian call center offices. They have been accused of organizing a criminal network, large-scale fraud, and spreading false terrorism-related reports. Further investigation is on in order to trace the remaining suspects and the entire modus operandi.
The FSB underlined the cross-border nature of the crime and its significant impact, emphasizing the involvement of organized crime groups in exploiting citizens globally. This crackdown underlines broader efforts by Russia to address cybercrime and international fraud networks.
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