Mumbai: Despite repeated advisories and awareness programmes on cyber frauds by the police through various channels of social media, people, particularly senior citizens, continue to fall prey to them. An 86-year-old retired official of a private company was scammed of Rs 89.23 lakh by fraudsters posing as officials from TRAI, CBI, RBI, and the Mumbai Police.
The victim, a resident of Prabhadevi, lodged a complaint with the Central Cyber Police alleging fraudsters, posing as cops from CBI, RBI, and Mumbai Police, threatened him by claiming he was under investigation in a money laundering case and extorted huge sums through RTGS. He said he received the first call on Dec 29, 2024, from a fraudster claiming to be from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
The caller falsely alleged his mobile number was registered in the victim’s name and was linked to illegal activities. The victim was then instructed to contact inspector Manish Kumar at Andheri Police Station. “Believing the caller, the victim called a mobile number, where he was falsely informed that an investigation was underway and was fooled,” said an officer.
The fraudsters convinced the victim that he was involved in a money laundering case related to the CEO of a defunct airline and that an arrest warrant was imminent. Under the pretext of checking, the scammers demanded the victim’s bank details, Aadhaar card information, and details of his investments, fixed deposits (FDs), and mutual funds. The victim was coerced into transferring funds via RTGS to various bank accounts under the pretense that the money would be “verified” and returned within 24 hours. When the victim hesitated, a fake CBI officer named Akash Sharma threatened immediate arrest.
A senior police official of Cyber Police said the fraudsters used computer-generated fake notices from TRAI, CBI, and RBI to make the scam appear legitimate.
The victim realised he was scammed only recently when he was asked to liquidate his mutual funds. On refusal, the fraudsters threatened immediate arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Suspecting fraud, the victim reported the case to the Cyber Helpline (1930) and filed an online complaint. Cyber Police could prevent transfer of only Rs 69,070 out of victim’s Rs 89.23 lakh.
Mumbai: Despite repeated advisories and awareness programmes on cyber frauds by the police through various channels of social media, people, particularly senior citizens, continue to fall prey to them. An 86-year-old retired official of a private company was scammed of Rs 89.23 lakh by fraudsters posing as officials from TRAI, CBI, RBI, and the Mumbai Police.
The victim, a resident of Prabhadevi, lodged a complaint with the Central Cyber Police alleging fraudsters, posing as cops from CBI, RBI, and Mumbai Police, threatened him by claiming he was under investigation in a money laundering case and extorted huge sums through RTGS. He said he received the first call on Dec 29, 2024, from a fraudster claiming to be from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
The caller falsely alleged his mobile number was registered in the victim’s name and was linked to illegal activities. The victim was then instructed to contact inspector Manish Kumar at Andheri Police Station. “Believing the caller, the victim called a mobile number, where he was falsely informed that an investigation was underway and was fooled,” said an officer.
The fraudsters convinced the victim that he was involved in a money laundering case related to the CEO of a defunct airline and that an arrest warrant was imminent. Under the pretext of checking, the scammers demanded the victim’s bank details, Aadhaar card information, and details of his investments, fixed deposits (FDs), and mutual funds. The victim was coerced into transferring funds via RTGS to various bank accounts under the pretense that the money would be “verified” and returned within 24 hours. When the victim hesitated, a fake CBI officer named Akash Sharma threatened immediate arrest.
A senior police official of Cyber Police said the fraudsters used computer-generated fake notices from TRAI, CBI, and RBI to make the scam appear legitimate.
The victim realised he was scammed only recently when he was asked to liquidate his mutual funds. On refusal, the fraudsters threatened immediate arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Suspecting fraud, the victim reported the case to the Cyber Helpline (1930) and filed an online complaint. Cyber Police could prevent transfer of only Rs 69,070 out of victim’s Rs 89.23 lakh.