As COVID surged, Indian police shut down scam centres targeting Canadians. Now,

But that’s all ended now. 

When strict lockdowns abated in the mega-city, the hunger of criminal syndicates for the millions they successfully steal outweighed any ongoing public health fears. 

“There are six to seven centres [within] 80 to 100 metres,” Jayesh Dubey explained to CBC Marketplace via video conference under the cover of night from within the business quarter.

And in one night, they’ll steal “$70,000 to $80,000.”

For months, Dubey, a whistleblower within the scam centre industry, has been observing the “hundreds of workers” pouring into entire floors of buildings. He says that in the early days of the pandemic, scam centres were shut down. But now they’re back in full swing, with scammers posing as tax officials and bank employees, convincing unsuspecting Canadians to pay up or risk serious consequences.

The bank investigator scheme is now one of the most prolific, a resurrected scam of the past, with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre reporting at least $3 million stolen from Canadians in an already dark 2020.

“With everything that’s going on in the world and the pandemic … we get distracted or we think it’s real,” said Ryan Duquette, a cybercrime investigator based in the Toronto area.

The fraudsters, who have tripled their illegal take on the bank investigator scam since 2017,  strike “a lot of fear” in their targets, Duquette says.

“If you don’t listen to what [they’re] saying right now, you will lose something. You will lose your bank account. It’ll be shut down. You’ll lose money.”

WATCH | Scams centres are back in full swing, targeting Canadians like Ahmed:

How can you keep your money safe? It’s another phone scam targeting Canadians: Imposters posing as bank investigators looking for your help and money. Our investigation takes us to India to see how scammers are using the coronavirus pandemic to their advantage. We also hear from a whistleblower, who tells us just how easy it is to start a scam centre. 8:15

Cancer patient ripped off for $27,100

Ahmed, a cancer patient in his 60s, borrowed money to pay the scammers, a debt that could well outlast him.

“It has shaken both of us,” said Ahmed of himself and his wife.

He’s also worried coming forward could put his family’s safety at risk, so Marketplace is not using his full name.

When his phone rang this winter, the caller identified herself as an investigator with the Royal Bank of Canada. She warned Ahmed his credit card had been compromised and his identity had been stolen. 

And, says Ahmed, she claimed that, “maybe people from within RBC are also involved.”

Ahmed and his wife had just watched a television program about a couple in their Brampton, Ont., neighbourhood who had indeed lost their home after thieves duplicated their identities and managed to mortgage their property — stealing the money.

It made Ahmed, a retired man originally from India himself, even more vulnerable to the scammers’ plan.

The scammer directed Ahmed to purchase gift cards, which she explained would be tied to the purported thieves, and thus help to track who they were.

At this point, many who receive such a call would be skeptical. To Ahmed, this was a skilled professional who “had an answer for everything.” She…