Criminal Operation of Call Center Shutdown

Law enforcement agencies, including the police and the Investigative Committee, conducted an unexpected raid on a criminal 'Call Center' on November 20. The success of the operation was largely dependent on its surprising nature, as reported by the Armenian Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Information regarding the criminal 'Call Center' had earlier been gathered by the Cybercrime Division of the Criminal Police. According to Haik Mkrtchyan, the head of the Cybercrime Division, it was revealed during the operation, conducted in collaboration with the officers of the Community Police, that a group of individuals had rented office space in a commercial building in the Arabkir administrative district of Yerevan, outfitting it as a criminal 'Call Center' for large-scale computer fraud.

To avoid detection by law enforcement, members of the criminal organization had masked the appearance of the location and implemented security measures before recruiting individuals and conducting training courses aimed at honing the mechanisms of their criminal activities. This had created favorable conditions for stealing the financial resources of citizens located in foreign countries through internet phone calls and distant-access computer usage.

It is noteworthy that similar criminal organizations operating in Armenia are linked with other organizations applying the same criminal mechanisms in different countries, which predominantly target citizens of our republic. Thus, stopping the activities of every criminal 'Call Center' discovered means preventing this type of crime, including for our citizens.

The head of the Cybercrime Division emphasized that despite the preventative measures, extensive operational-investigative activities had allowed law enforcement to identify the identities of individuals involved in the criminal organization, their assigned roles, data associated with fake online platforms they were using, and information regarding crypto wallets employed for the illicitly obtained financial resources.

Members of the criminal organization had also given clear instructions for destroying electronic evidence on computers in the event of an unexpected visit by law enforcement. Given this circumstance, the officers of the Main Criminal Police and the Investigative Committee conducted an unexpected raid on November 20. Thanks to meticulously planned and skilled actions, the members of the criminal organization were unable to destroy electronic information considered crucial evidence for the investigation.

During the raid, members of the criminal organization, comprising citizens of Armenia and other countries, along with the computing equipment they used, were discovered. Relevant procedural actions are being conducted at the Investigative Committee to determine the criminal procedural status of all individuals involved in the criminal organization. The Criminal Police is also actively collaborating with law enforcement agencies of foreign states to gather information on individuals affected by the operations of the criminal organization.

Furthermore, measures aimed at uncovering such criminal organizations are continuous. We urge our citizens to be extremely vigilant when receiving job offers from organizations that engage in suspicious activities, as participation in such 'Call Centers' can result in criminal liability.