Do not trust the caller if you receive a call with an automated recorded message claiming that you are the subject of a summons or arrest order issued by the CBI, high court, or any other law enforcement organization. This caller is likely a hoax.
The Borivli police on Friday registered a cyber fraud case wherein a youth was duped of nearly Rs 10 lakh by the fraudsters posing as CBI officers. The accused persons threatened the victim with police action and tricked him into transferring money by claiming that his bank accounts are involved in a money laundering case. The police suspected a professional cyber fraud gang behind the fraud.
The 26-year-old complainant is a Borivali (West) resident. On May 15, he received a call from an unknown number. A recorded message was played over the call.
The police complaint claims that the voice message informed him that the Delhi High Court had issued a summons against him and instructed him to press ‘0’ for further information. The complainant was prompted to provide his full name and mobile number by Sanjay Sharma over the phone after they hit “0.”
The complainant claimed in the FIR that Sharma further informed them that an ICICI Bank bank account had been opened in Lajpat Nagar and that unlawful transactions of Rs 25 lakh had been made using this account.
Additionally, Sharma informed the complainant that the CBI’s chief of the Cyber branch would be doing additional investigation into the case that had been filed against him. After giving the call to someone else, he gave them his name, Aadhar card, bank account information, and other details.
The second individual informed the complainant that 25 fictitious accounts had been created using his name and information. Therefore, the FIR said, the money in the complainant’s ICICI bank account needs to be properly validated.
The individual instructed the complainant to move all of his funds (Rs 15 lakh) from his bank account to a different CBI bank account in order to facilitate verification. The complainant was informed that the money will be reimbursed following verification, according to the FIR.
The complainant followed instructions and transferred Rs 9.5 lakh to the specified bank account number in three transactions.
But something smelled fishy, and he thought the person might be a scammer. He so began searching the internet for information regarding this particular form of cybercrime. After reading news reports about these types of scams, the complainant realized he had been duped.
After that, he called the Cyber Fraud National Helpline 1930 and did as instructed. He also reported something to the police.
According to an officer, Borivli police have reported a cyber fraud case and are attempting to obtain information about the proprietors of the beneficiary bank accounts.
Mumbai cyber police have issued an appeal to the public warning them not to trust any caller, even if they claim to be from the CBI, the ED, the police department, the cyber cell, or the High Court and are requesting money to be sent into a certain account in order to conduct an investigation or inquiry.
“You are not called by law enforcement and asked to send money.” A cyber police official advised sending money to someone after carefully checking their credentials.