Fake Apple Support Call Centre Busted in Delhi: Gift Card Code Scams and 4 Rules to Stay Safe (2026)

Bottom line first: per Hindustan Times on September 30, Delhi Police dismantled a call centre impersonating Apple technical support and arrested seven people. Callers posing as Apple staff phoned US residents, claimed their devices were infected with viruses or contained inappropriate content, and tricked them into buying gift cards and handing over the redemption codes, which were then passed to associates. The essence of every such scam fits in one sentence: a gift card redemption code is cash — whoever holds the code holds the money, and it is nearly impossible to recover. As Apple’s official gift card scam page makes clear: Apple never asks you to pay bills or taxes with gift cards, and its support staff will never call to demand your redemption code. Whether you buy cards for yourself or distribute them as team rewards, the four rules below are worth memorizing.

1. The 48-hour recap: a call centre posing as Apple

Piecing together Chinese media syntheses and the original Indian reporting: the operation ran out of a building in Naraina Industrial Area Phase-2 in west Delhi, under the name “Veptra”. Acting on a tip received September 25, police raided the premises and arrested seven people, including the alleged owner (29) and his partner (28); a formal case was registered on September 26 covering cheating, impersonation and criminal conspiracy. A telling detail: all callers used Western aliases, and the seized laptops contained internet-calling tools, two remote-access applications, and call histories full of US numbers.

According to a cross-checked roundup of three Indian outlets, the same wave of action also covered a second call centre impersonating Amazon support, bringing total arrests across the two raids to 12. Big-brand impersonation plus gift card harvesting is the standard combo of cross-border call-centre fraud — and Apple is not the only brand being borrowed.

2. The playbook: gift card scams follow five fixed steps

Per Apple’s official “About gift card scams” page, no matter how the story is dressed up, these scams follow a near-identical script:

3. Individuals: four rules that keep your codes safe

1. A code is cash — never share it. Real Apple support staff will never call to ask for your redemption code. If a stranger asks for the card number or code for any reason (refunds, unblocking, verification, warranty), refuse. Apple’s own page says not to share the numbers on the back of a card with anyone you don’t know well.
2. Buy only from official or reputable channels. Order through official stores or established platforms such as Nediya, where orders and codes stay visible in your account. Redeem codes yourself immediately after purchase — never let a stranger “do it for you”, and never display card details inside remote-screen-sharing apps.
3. Caller ID and websites can be faked. Displayed numbers, official-looking pages and ticket numbers are all spoofable. If someone claiming to be Apple, Amazon, Microsoft or your bank calls, hang up and contact the company through its official channels. Remember: no government agency or utility accepts gift cards as payment.
4. If you already lost a code, act fast. Contact the issuer and official support immediately, and report to police (US users can file a complaint with the FTC). Speed determines whether anything can be salvaged — but in most cases the funds are already gone, which is why prevention beats remediation every time.

4. Teams: ship an anti-fraud note with every reward

For companies using overseas eGift cards for employee rewards and marketing incentives, this case carries a direct lesson: after the cards go out, your employees can become the next targets of fake-support calls. Four practices that work:

1. Attach a one-paragraph anti-fraud note to every distribution: make it explicit that neither the company nor the card platform will ever ask for redemption codes back, by phone or otherwise.
2. Distribute via a system, not chat groups: register a Nediya account to place self-serve bulk orders and track each card’s delivery and redemption status in the dashboard — keeping codes out of group chats where they can be screenshotted and leaked.
3. Handle unclaimed cards promptly: cards left unredeemed past their window can be recalled or refunded — protecting both the budget and any codes still sitting unused.
4. Use PayPal Payouts for cash-style rewards: suited to employee rewards, marketing incentives and supplier settlements, with funds delivered directly to each recipient’s PayPal account — no interceptable codes involved.

For the full bulk-distribution workflow, see our earlier playbook Year-End Employee Rewards: A Complete Guide to Bulk Distribution of Overseas eGift Cards; for the individual buying and redemption walkthrough, see How to Buy Apple Gift Cards in China to Subscribe to ChatGPT Plus.

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