Recent evidence has increasingly suggested that India, rather than China, is the world's largest hub for voice phishing scams. China has been unfairly perceived as such because of the existence of Chinese-linked scam organizations based in Cambodia that were recently dismantled. Considering the enormous losses Americans have suffered from voice phishing scams originating in India for more than a decade, it is clear that this assessment is by no means an exaggeration.

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Voice phishing criminals recently arrested by police in and around Mumbai, India's capital. / Beijing Youth Daily (北京青年報)

A look at the scale of losses the United States has suffered from voice phishing scams originating in India is enough to determine whether this is indeed the case. According to Beijing-based security industry sources familiar with scam operations on Oct. 26, Americans are estimated to have been defrauded of at least several billion dollars (several trillion won) annually on average since 2016. Some even claim that the actual losses are at least two to three times higher than generally reported.

There are numerous reasons why India has become the world's leading hub for voice phishing crimes, far surpassing China. First and foremost, India is unrivaled when it comes to English-language call center outsourcing for American companies. This means that some call centers have become breeding grounds for voice phishing crimes. Given that most Indians also have little difficulty speaking English, India could be said to have been almost destined to become a major hub for voice phishing scams targeting Americans.

Another factor is the repurposing of legitimate call center infrastructure, such as telephone number lists and scripts, as well as caller ID spoofing (a technique that involves sophisticated falsification of caller identification information to make calls appear to originate from trusted institutions or acquaintances), for criminal activities. Under such circumstances, it could be said that it would be more surprising if victims were not deceived.

The main targets of Indian scammers in the United States are typically older adults, immigrants and retirees. Naturally, victims become terrified when scammers pretend to exercise government authority and threaten them with back taxes and deportation. There are understandable reasons why Yang Ruoying (楊若英), head of a Beijing-based security company, expressed regret over the situation, saying, "Older adults, immigrants and retirees are among the most vulnerable groups in American society. Once they become targets of criminals, it is not easy for them to escape."

Specific examples make the situation easier to understand. One involves criminals impersonating officials from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and immigration authorities and threatening victims over alleged tax evasion. When scammers issue threats along the lines of "You have unpaid taxes. If you do not pay immediately, you will be arrested within 30 minutes," victims have almost no way of avoiding deception. This is especially true because the incoming phone number is also spoofed to resemble that of a genuine government agency. When payments are demanded through Google Pay or Apple and Amazon gift cards, it is extremely difficult for victims to suspect that they are being scammed.

In 2016, one such call center that had become a criminal operation was uncovered in Thane, near Mumbai, following persistent investigations by Indian authorities and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). As many as 70 criminals were arrested at the time. Evidence soon emerged clearly showing that they had stolen approximately $55 million from victims over the course of a year.

Another method involves impersonating the U.S. Social Security Administration, the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). When victims hear threats such as "Your Social Security number (SSN) has been used for drug trafficking and illegal money laundering, so we will freeze your bank accounts," they are bound to react immediately. It becomes only a matter of time before they readily disclose all their information and fall prey to the scammers.

There is also the tactic of convincing victims that their banks are unsafe, offering security-related technical support and inducing them to withdraw gold bars, cryptocurrency and cash. Needless to say, victims can hardly avoid falling for the deception while feeling grateful for the criminals' seemingly helpful guidance. Losses from such schemes are estimated to reach hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

Indian police, with assistance from the FBI, are currently making extensive efforts to eradicate voice phishing crimes in the country, where the number of reported cases exceeded a staggering 1 million in 2025 alone. However, because the criminal methods and organizations are highly sophisticated and operate through loosely connected cells, completely rooting them out is an extremely difficult task that borders on the impossible. Considering the astonishing scale of voice phishing crimes in India, it may be reasonable to conclude that China has been unfairly subjected to criticism.

                                                                                                            Hong Soon-do