Research reveals motivations and tactics used by Call Centre fraudsters

Published in the Journal of White Collar and Corporate Crime, funded by the Home Office and directed by Itad, the research uncovers the deceptive methods criminals use to target victims at scale backed by more than two million confirmed fraud cases in the first half of 2025 alone.

Millions of individuals and organisations are victims of fraud each year, with criminals reported to have stolen £629.3 million in the first half of last year, according to UK Finance, underscoring just how widespread the problem has become.  

The research highlights how criminal operations running out of Call Centres in India are targeting victims in North America, Europe and South East Asia. Worryingly, this type of fraud seems to have become accepted by some within the Indian Call Centre industry as a legitimate career choice.

The study has also revealed an unwritten rule among many of these operatives that those treating fraud as a career often deliberately avoid targeting people from their own background or nationality.

Not particularly high-tech  

Lead author Dr Paul Gilmour from the University of Portsmouth’s School of Criminology and Criminal Justice and the Centre for Cyber Crime and Economic Crime commented: “What’s surprising is that most of this fraud isn’t particularly high-tech. There’s not much in the way of accent masking or disguise. It just comes down to simple tools, remote access and manipulation.”

Further, the detailed study found that several techniques, including social engineering (a form of manipulation where fraudsters exploit human psychology rather than technical vulnerabilities to trick people into handing over money, personal information or access to their accounts), are being used by individuals in the Call Centres to build false trust, create urgency and impersonate authoritative figures to entice victims to act.

It emerges that victims are being manipulated through fear and high-pressure tactics, leaving them feeling that they had no choice but to comply.  

The study also reveals that fraudsters posed as ‘trustworthy’ organisations, such as Microsoft Windows support representatives, using tools including pop-up warnings and phone calls to encourage those targeted to give in to their demands.

Fear as a tactic

Dr Gilmour observed: “The key findings centre around social engineering and the use of fear as a tactic. Technology plays a role, but primarily as an enabler. It’s the means through which fraudsters gain access once a degree of trust has been established.”

Further, Dr Gilmour stated: “The research aims to equip the public with an understanding of how these scams work, the psychological tactics involved and how remote access is used. Something as straightforward as knowing that Microsoft would never call you out of the blue could genuinely protect someone from becoming a victim.”

In India, recruitment often happens through agencies, drawing in many individuals including young people, some of whom genuinely believed they were joining a legitimate Call Centre.

“Lots of these operatives are young people,” concluded Dr Gilmour. “It’s lucrative work and, for many, represents an opportunity to attain the kind of Western lifestyle portrayed across social media.”

The study suggests that tackling the problem requires both public education around these schemes and stronger cooperation from law enforcement.

*Further information is available online at www.port.ac.uk