Hyderabad: A 32-year-old software engineer was duped into believing that a FedEx parcel was stuck in Mumbai customs with illegal content. Subsequently, under the guise of preventing such fraudulent activities, he was promted to transfer Rs. 3,71,581.
The fraudsters coerced the victim into believing that his Aadhar card number was allegedly used to send the parcel, which contained illegal items such as five passports, three bank credit cards, one pair of shoes, and 200 grams of MDMA.
The fraudsters, posing as law enforcement officials from the Crime Branch in Andheri, Mumbai, instructed the victim to engage in a Skype video call, warning him against involving family members and stressing the gravity of the situation.
The preparator then began extracting sensitive financial information from the victim, including details about his bank accounts, investments, and assets. They proceeded to fabricate a narrative implicating the victim’s Aadhar card as having been used for hawala money transfers and drug dealing.
Then the fraudsters concocted false evidence, including an ID falsely identifying the perpetrator, who has allegedly been using the victim’s account and claiming that he has been apprehended.
To further dupe the victim, the fraudsters orchestrated a call purportedly with the DCP Cyber Crime division, seeking a No Objection Certificate (NOC) and sharing the victim’s information with the Surveillance Department for additional scrutiny.
Subsequently, during a follow-up call purportedly from the surveillance team, the fraudsters alleged widespread misuse of the victim’s Aadhar card across various regions like Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Karnataka.
Feeling threatened, the victim complied with the fraudsters’ demands. Exploiting the victim’s fear, the fraudsters proposed transferring a substantial sum of Rs. 3,71,581 to a secure detective portal for the verification of bank accounts and assets, under the guise of preventing further fraudulent activities.
They assured the victim that the money would be verified by their financial team and would be reverted. Upon realizing that he had been scammed, the victim lodged a police complaint, and further investigation is ongoing.
