FPJ Cyber Secure: 37-Year-Old Woman Loses ₹2 Lakh To Online Fraudsters Impersonating Police Officers

A 37-year-old woman recently became a victim of courier fraud. Courier fraud occurs when a group of people coordinate to try and scam victims over calls, pretending to be customer care operators of a courier company, customs, and police officials. They aim to induce the victim to pay money by putting them under fear, stating that a parcel belonging to them contains illegal items that have been intercepted, and the victim would face legal action. Interestingly, the scammers used the logo of the Mumbai Police over a Skype call to the victim.

According to the police, the complainant is a Thane resident. On November 18, the victim had got a call from an unknown mobile number.

The fraudulent caller

The caller claimed to be calling from a courier company and said that a parcel belonging to the victim was meant to be delivered from Mumbai to Dubai on November 15. However, since it allegedly contained illegal items, the courier company filed a complaint with the Mumbai Crime Branch.

The victim repeatedly informed the caller that the said parcel did not belong to her. Nevertheless, the caller insisted on connecting her call with an officer from the crime branch, suggesting that she could file an online complaint. Subsequently, a woman started talking to the victim, claiming to be a crime branch officer, emphasizing the seriousness of the unclaimed parcel complaint. She then requested the victim's Aadhaar card number and bank account information, informing the victim that her Aadhaar card is linked to several bank accounts, some of which are allegedly involved in money laundering.

Skype video call used for online scam

The scammers also made a Skype call to the victim and used the Mumbai Police logo to make their con appear genuine. Subsequently, the scammers induced the victim to transfer ₹2 lakh into a bank account, claiming it would be refunded. However, when the victim did not receive her money back after transferring it, she realized that she had been duped. She then approached the police and had an offense registered in the matter last week.

The police have registered a case under sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Indian Penal Code and 66D (cheating by personation by using a computer resource) of the Information Technology Act.