A 28-year-old corporate employee from Worli has fallen prey to an elaborate cyber fraud, losing Rs 11 lakh to scammers posing as law enforcement officials. The fraudsters manipulated the victim into believing he was implicated in a money laundering case linked to an alleged illegal parcel.
The ordeal began when the victim received a call from a woman claiming to be from the Mumbai Post Office. She falsely informed him that a package addressed to him had been flagged for containing six passports, multiple ATM cards, a laptop, and 150 grams of MDMA.
When the victim denied any connection to the parcel, he was transferred to another caller who introduced himself as a cybercrime officer, according to a report by The Times of India.
The scammers escalated the pressure by impersonating the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), and Mumbai Cyber Crime. To make their claims appear legitimate, they even conducted a video call showing a man in a police uniform, who claimed to be a senior officer investigating a high-profile money laundering case.
The fraudsters sent three forged letters bearing fake seals and case details. Another scammer, identifying himself as an IPS officer, instructed the victim to transfer funds to an ‘escrow account’ for verification.
Fearing legal repercussions, the victim complied with their instructions. He liquidated a Fixed Deposit (FD) worth Rs 5 lakh at Canara Bank and transferred the amount. He then sent Rs 99,000 to a Bandhan Bank and an additional Rs 10 lakh to a Federal Bank Account.
After transferring the amount, the victim attempted to contact the supposed officials, but one of them responded. Realising he had been deceived, he immediately blocked the fraudsters’ numbers and reported the incident to the Cyber Helpline (1930) and Mumbai Police.
Scams like digital arrests and impersonating a government official for extracting ransom have become way too common in India. Last month, reports emerged that scam calls originating from Nepal are mimicking alerts from TRAI officials.
Similarly, in Manjalpur, Gujarat, a 43-year old woman fell prey to an elaborate digital arrest scheme. Scams just like this one are rampant all over India. To counter these scams, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) blocked more than six lakh mobile numbers and blocked over 700 applications. The Ministry also blacklisted more than 100,000 devices tied to fraudulent activities.
Do not engage with any official on a video call to protect yourself from this scam. Government officials will send you an official email or summon you to their office. Moreover, do not give money or disclose OTP, bank details, or your passwords to any stranger, however authoritative that person may seem. Finally, the situation should be immediately reported to banks and police for further investigation.
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