From loan offers to high returns, cyberfrauds dupe Patnaites in sophisticated ways | Patna News – Times of India
Patna: A recent study by cybercell of Patna police of over 150 cybercrime cases registered in the state capital last year revealed a disturbing trend of online frauds. Scammers are using at least 10 different modus operandi to dupe unsuspecting citizens, causing financial losses and emotional distress.
According to police, cybercriminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated, using social media platforms to gather information about their targets. They create fake profiles, befriend their victims, and then use this information to cheat them.
“One of the most common methods used by scammers is to promise unusually high returns on investments in online trading. They lure victims with promises of doubling their money, only to disappear with the funds,” said a cyberpolice official.
Deputy superintendent of police (DSP)-cum-cyber police station in charge, Raghwendra Mani Tripathi, said several new techniques of cybercrime are in practice these days. Online stock trading became popular after the Covid era, leading cybercriminals to adopt the method to dupe money from people.
“Fraudsters promise exorbitant high returns on investments in online trading, duping victims into parting with their money. They advertise fake lucrative online support websites and make WhatsApp groups for stock trading on social media platforms. The investors or traders, new to this field, are trapped in greed to earn more money in a short span of time,” said Tripathi.
Another type of scam is related to paying electricity bills online. In these cases, scammers call victims, threatening to cut off their power supply if they don’t pay their “overdue” bills.
The DSP said online job scams are also on the rise these days. Fraudsters promise part-time or work from home jobs, requiring victims to invest money or provide personal details. The scammers also dupe people in the name of providing loans online. They offer instant loans with low interest rates through fake websites and cellphone applications, but demand upfront fees or personal details.
According to police sources, more than 2,000 cyberfraud cases were registered at the cyber police station in Patna last year. Around five to seven digital arrest (impersonating scams) cases were registered in the state capital between October and December 2024. The most infamous cyberfraud occurred with a retired professor of Patna University. The cybercriminals, posing as officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), duped more than Rs 3 crore in just three days from the retired professor living in the Kadamkuan police station area.
The deception commenced when several people arrived at the elderly woman’s residence, presenting counterfeit documentation to convince her of a money laundering issue. Subsequently, the fraudsters contacted her via phone, impersonating the CBI officials. Under duress, the woman transferred Rs 3.07 crore to the multiple accounts specified by these criminals.
“There are several other types of scams, including credit card scams, where scammers claim to be from credit card companies, offering to increase credit limits or provide rewards points. Earlier, sextortion was a very common case, where scammers used social media to blackmail victims, often using their obscene or compromising photos or videos. The fraudsters also post fake ads on free online marketing website, demanding payment or personal details from interested buyers and duping their money,” added the DSP.
Some other types of online frauds are ‘fake profile scams’, where the criminals create fake social media profiles, befriending victims and demanding money or personal details, and ‘just dial frauds’, where scammers edit Google search results, providing fake phone numbers or websites that demand payment or personal details.
According to police, cybercriminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated, using social media platforms to gather information about their targets. They create fake profiles, befriend their victims, and then use this information to cheat them.
“One of the most common methods used by scammers is to promise unusually high returns on investments in online trading. They lure victims with promises of doubling their money, only to disappear with the funds,” said a cyberpolice official.
Deputy superintendent of police (DSP)-cum-cyber police station in charge, Raghwendra Mani Tripathi, said several new techniques of cybercrime are in practice these days. Online stock trading became popular after the Covid era, leading cybercriminals to adopt the method to dupe money from people.
“Fraudsters promise exorbitant high returns on investments in online trading, duping victims into parting with their money. They advertise fake lucrative online support websites and make WhatsApp groups for stock trading on social media platforms. The investors or traders, new to this field, are trapped in greed to earn more money in a short span of time,” said Tripathi.
Another type of scam is related to paying electricity bills online. In these cases, scammers call victims, threatening to cut off their power supply if they don’t pay their “overdue” bills.
The DSP said online job scams are also on the rise these days. Fraudsters promise part-time or work from home jobs, requiring victims to invest money or provide personal details. The scammers also dupe people in the name of providing loans online. They offer instant loans with low interest rates through fake websites and cellphone applications, but demand upfront fees or personal details.
According to police sources, more than 2,000 cyberfraud cases were registered at the cyber police station in Patna last year. Around five to seven digital arrest (impersonating scams) cases were registered in the state capital between October and December 2024. The most infamous cyberfraud occurred with a retired professor of Patna University. The cybercriminals, posing as officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), duped more than Rs 3 crore in just three days from the retired professor living in the Kadamkuan police station area.
The deception commenced when several people arrived at the elderly woman’s residence, presenting counterfeit documentation to convince her of a money laundering issue. Subsequently, the fraudsters contacted her via phone, impersonating the CBI officials. Under duress, the woman transferred Rs 3.07 crore to the multiple accounts specified by these criminals.
“There are several other types of scams, including credit card scams, where scammers claim to be from credit card companies, offering to increase credit limits or provide rewards points. Earlier, sextortion was a very common case, where scammers used social media to blackmail victims, often using their obscene or compromising photos or videos. The fraudsters also post fake ads on free online marketing website, demanding payment or personal details from interested buyers and duping their money,” added the DSP.
Some other types of online frauds are ‘fake profile scams’, where the criminals create fake social media profiles, befriending victims and demanding money or personal details, and ‘just dial frauds’, where scammers edit Google search results, providing fake phone numbers or websites that demand payment or personal details.
