This is the first of its kind case in Mumbai of a cyber fraud using espionage as a disguise to cheat people, an official claimed.
A 64-year-old woman from Mumbai lost INR 22.4 lakh in a first-of-its-kind cyber fraud, in which scammers posed as officials from the Delhi ATS and Jammu & Kashmir Police. They accused her of ‘spying for Pakistan’ and threatened her with a 10-year jail term and INR 50 lakh fine to extort the money. A case has been registered, and an investigation is currently underway.
As per the modus operandi, victim received a call from a person posing as ‘Delhi ATS’ officer Prem Kumar Gupta, claiming to be posted at a Jammu & Kashmir Border police station. He accused the woman of sharing sensitive information with Pakistan and threatened her with 10 years of imprisonment on charges of espionage and a fine of INR 50 lakhs. To make the threat seem real, he sent a photo of a fake police ID card to the victim’s phone. As scary as the call sounded and out of fear that the consequences may be serious, the victim from Mumbai deposited a total of INR 22.40 lakhs into various bank accounts shared by the fraudster.
These payments were made between June 5 – 10. The phone calls stopped immediately after the money was transferred, which the woman to realize she had actually been financially cheated upon. As a result, the victim approached the South Region Cyber Police station on June 13 and filed an official complaint against the fraudster. A case was then registered against unidentified persons under the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act.
The officials noted this is the first reported case in Mumbai using an espionage guise to carry out a cyber fraud. This gang of conmen duping an elderly lady is an eye-opening news indeed. This news has indeed sent shockwaves across the common man, showcasing and highlighting the need to have extremely stringent laws to regulate and monitor the cyber-fraud cases, that have seen unprecedented rise in the recent months.
Fraudsters and scamsters have been devising innovative methods to extract money and harass the innocent civilians, creating traps that are making it difficult for them to be caught. All the residents must follow the below tips diligently to safeguard their investments and liquid money from being taken away.
- Never click on unknown or spam links.
- Never share any sensitive information, OTPs or bank details with anyone.
- Be cautious of suspicious calls and emails.
- Enable strong passwords and two-factor authentications.
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