Mohali police have apprehended a cyber fraudster who was creating fake Facebook accounts of important personalities and IPS officers to deceive people. Senior Police Captain, Dr. Sandeep Kumar Garg, informed that during the ongoing campaign against cyber criminals by Mohali district police, a team led by Shiv Kumar, In-charge (Special Cell), Mohali, successfully arrested a suspect involved in creating fake Facebook accounts of VIPs and IPS officers.
Dr. Garg revealed that the accused, Muhammad Kaif alias Kaif, a resident of Chinwada village in Gopalgarh, Dausa district (Rajasthan), was copying Facebook IDs/pages and other information of senior officers and IPS officers. As soon as he created fake Facebook accounts, he would deceive unsuspecting individuals by falsely claiming that they or their friends had been transferred from one district to another, where they currently reside. He would then sell valuable items such as furniture at incredibly low prices, luring innocent people into depositing advance payments into fake accounts under the guise of courier charges for delivering the items.
Preliminary investigation indicates that the accused is a final year student of BCA and is proficient in English. He would communicate with unsuspecting individuals in English, exploiting his influence to deceive them through various means.
Modus Operandi
The accused would sit in the jungles near his village, create Facebook IDs through mobile phones, and then post advertisements on Facebook (Marketplace) to sell items such as motorcycles and furniture. After receiving messages from individuals interested in purchasing the items, he would send them his number. Subsequently, he would download the ID cards of IPS and senior officers from the internet and pose as an officer, engaging in conversations with innocent people and tricking them into making advance payments for fake courier charges.
Fake OLX Advertisements:
Similarly, the accused would create OLX IDs through his mobile phone in the jungles, post advertisements to sell items (motorcycles, furniture, etc.), and then send messages to individuals interested in buying the items. He would send them his number, download the ID cards of IPS and senior officers, pose as an officer, and deceive people into making payments into fake bank accounts under the pretext of processing fees for loan applications at low-interest rates.
YouTube Channel for Selling Old Coins
Using his mobile phone, the accused would download videos of old coins from the internet and upload them to his YouTube channel. He would then upload his number along with the videos, boost the videos through advertisements, and coordinate with individuals purchasing old coins. Based on the value of the purchased coins, he would transfer 10% advance tokens to fake bank accounts.
Low-Interest Rate Loan Scam
The accused used different mobile phones to call individuals in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and other states, offering them loans at low-interest rates. He would fully engage them in conversation, convincing them to transfer amounts ranging from 5,000 to 10,000 into fake bank accounts as processing fees for the loans.
The Mohali police have successfully apprehended the accused, and further investigation is underway to uncover the full extent of the cyber fraud operation. Authorities are urging the public to remain vigilant against such scams and report any suspicious activities to the police.