In yet another elaborate parcel scam, where the fraudsters posed as FedEx employees, a 66-year-old retiree from Hyderabad lost ₹20.20 lakh.
A Skype video call from the Mumbai Cyber Crime Branch to a call from the Financial Department of the Mumbai Police and a letter with an emblem of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) were staged to trap the man into the scam.
“The fraudster told the victim that his Aadhaar number had been used in West Bengal, Kolkata, Goa, Bengaluru and Mumbai for money laundering and that an FIR had to be filed,” explained the officials. Moreover, the fraudsters showed him a photograph of a person from the gang itself who has been in jail for the last two years, citing he was one among the many misusing the victim’s Aadhaar and an FIR was filed against him, leading to his arrest.
Assuring the victim that the funds will be transferred back to his account within seven days following an investigation, the fraudsters conned the man of ₹20.20 lakh. The parcel scam cases are on a rise across the country since the last year.
Scammers can employ psychological tactics to manipulate emotions and decisions. “Law enforcement officials do not initiate contact through Skype calls and insist on money transfer for clearing the issues,” police officials said. Victims can report such cases on the Cyber Crime Helpline number 1930 or by visiting cybercrime.gov.in
