Mumbai: In just 24 hours, Mumbai Police’s Crime Branch has managed to save Rs. 1.02 crores which two citizens lost in a cybercrime. Residents of Kandivali, Bandra and Borivali, the trio were duped by cyber fraudsters in a share trading cybercrime, said the police on Friday.
According to police officials, they received two complainants through the 1930 Cyber Helpline number on April 25, and soon after the cyber police started the probe. The complainant from Kandivali and Bandra were duped on the pretext of providing handsome returns by investing in share trading and ended up losing crores of their money. Meanwhile, the Borivali-based victim was cheated in a courier scam case. Promptly, all of the three immediately reported the complaint to the cyber helpline.
Police Freezes Rs 1.02 Crores In Cyber Fraud Case
As per standard operating protocol, police contacted the nodal officer of the banks the transactions were made by the victim to freeze the money and almost Rs. 1,02,66,095 were put on hold, the police said.
With rising share trading fraud, police subsequently issued guidelines for citizens which said, “Social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Telegram are used by scammers for advertisements of share trading claiming huge profits. Citizens do not download share trading apps through any kind of .apk files and check the authenticity of the websites before proceeding with any kind of trading.” It further said, “Cybercriminals induce victims to send money to various individual bank accounts while no genuine company registered under the National Stock Exchange or Bombay Stock Exchange would ask for remittance via individual bank accounts.”
Guidelines To Avoid FedEx And Courier-Related Scams
For FedEx or other courier-related scams, the guidelines say,“Citizens should be careful while dealing with calls where cyber frauds pose as representatives of reputed courier companies claiming irregular transactions from victim’s bank accounts.
The victims are told that their bank transactions are linked to drugs, murder, hawala, to intimidate them,” said an official. He continued, “Victims are told that they will be arrested by police officers, income tax officers or any government/enforcement agencies while displaying bogus identity cards - instead of panicking, they should report the matter to the nearest police station. Lastly, avoid making any financial transactions or sending money to unknown persons or their bank accounts out of fear or confusion.”
FedEx issues statement
FedEx has issued an official statement in connection with the development. The statement said, "FedEx does not request personal information through unsolicited phone calls, mail, or email for goods being shipped or held, unless requested or initiated by customers. If any individual receives any suspicious phone calls or messages, they are advised not to provide their personal information. Instead, they should immediately contact the local law enforcement authorities within the vicinity or report to the cybercrime department of the government of India."
Victims of cyber fraud are to dial 1930 or contact the nearest police station immediately.
