Gujarat Scammed: Cyber crime is on the rise — even the tech-savvy are falling for it
As technology advances at a rapid pace, crimes in the virtual space are also multiplying. These days, even the well-read and tech savvy are falling for the vicious traps set by cyber criminals. AACHAL VAYEDA & SOHINI GHOSH trace the modus operandi of a few recent cases that have left the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch looking for clues.
On December 22, 2023, an Ahmedabad-based software engineer was looking forward to her year-end holidays when she got a call from an unknown number. At the other end of the line was a female voice who introduced herself as a woman cop from the Mumbai Cyber Crime East department.
The “cop” informed her that they had seized a parcel that was being sent in her name from Mumbai to Iran via FedEx. The parcel, she said, contained drugs, expired passports, and credit cards under the name Zhang Lin.
When the techie informed the “officer” that she had no knowledge about such a parcel, she was threatened with arrest if she “failed to cooperate to verify” her credentials and prove her innocence. Sensing something amiss, the techie insisted that the call be moved to Skype.
On a video call, the “woman police inspector” showed IDs that looked authentic, although the software engineer says she could not recall the name of the “officer”. Yet, the engineer interacted with the “officer” online, but without revealing her face.
The caller insisted that she “verify” her details. Soon, the 30-year-old found herself sharing personal information, including Aadhaar card and bank account details. Following the call, a personal loan was granted and Rs 20 lakh was credited to her ICICI Bank account. And before she knew it, Rs 19.94 lakh of the loan amount was transferred to a specific account. The techie says she shared the OTP “out of fear”.
Based on her complaint, an FIR was lodged at Cyber Crime Branch Ahmedabad on February 8. “The complainant was tricked into providing personal information, including Aadhaar card details and bank account information, under the guise of verification,” the FIR states.
More than a month later, the accused is yet to be traced. But Inspector Krunal Nathabhai Bhukar of the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime department who is investigating the case told The Indian Express that they have traced the location of the accused to a foreign country.
Last week, a similar modus operandi was used to extort Rs 1.15 crore from MICA president and director Shailendra Raj Mehta. The culprits posed as officers from the Mumbai cyber cell and CBI.
According to Mehta’s complaint, he received a call on March 20 afternoon from someone who identified himself as one ‘Jason’ from FedEx. After confirming Mehta’s Aadhaar number and full name, Jason informed him that a package was being sent in his name from Mumbai to Taiwan. The said package was seized by the Mumbai customs and was found to contain five passports, three mobile phones, one laptop, 5 kilograms of clothes and 200 grams of MDMA drug, the caller informed.
For further verification, the call was then allegedly connected to the Mumbai cyber cell. A purported officer, identifying himself as ‘Prakash’, asked Mehta if he knew a ‘Nawab Malik’ who had opened 300 to 400 fraud accounts in the name of prominent personalities, including Mehta.
‘Officer Prakash’ allegedly informed Mehta that 2-3 accounts have been opened in his name in Goa, Mumbai and Hyderabad. He was also told that the matter cannot be discussed with anyone else and asked him to carry forward the conversation over Skype as his phone may be “bugged for interception”.
Upon connecting over Skype, Mehta was sent a letter with the CBI logo seeking his assistance to probe the matter. The next day, Mehta was informed by another purported officer, identifying himself as ‘Balsingh Rajput’ from the Mumbai cyber cell, that his colleague George Mathew would contact the MICA president after the issuance of a warrant.
An hour later, Mehta was informed via Skype that a warrant from the CBI had been issued.
Soon, the purported warrant, with the name and logo of the CBI, was sent to him over Skype.
Mathew went on to inform Mehta that several transactions, which may not be visible to him, have been undertaken from his ICICI account and are being reflected on the servers of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
Mathew also informed that Mehta must transfer money to two PNB accounts — one of Quality Fruit Traders and another of Shivam Charitable Trust — which are allegedly being used for money laundering. He reasoned that once the transaction goes through, the purported agency officers would get access to the RBI servers to view the previous transactions.
Mehta was assured that the money transferred to the PNB accounts would be credited back to his account within 15-20 minutes. Trusting the callers, Mehta transferred Rs 1 crore to one account and over Rs 15.11 lakh to another account. Half an hour after Mehta transferred the money, the amount was yet to be credited back to his account “as was promised”.
Upon following up with his bank as well as PNB, he was informed that he had been cheated.
Prof Mehta stated that he is a victim “of a well-orchestrated cybercrime incident”. On March 22, he filed a complaint with the Ahmedabad cyber police station based on which an FIR has been lodged under IPC sections 406, 419 (cheating by impersonation), 420 (cheating), 465, 467 (forgery), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), 471 (forged document), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and Information Technology Act section 66 (d) (cheats by impersonation by using a communication device or computer resource).
The case is under probe and no suspect has been apprehended yet, said investigating officer Paras Makwana. However, he revealed that “certain bank accounts” have been frozen, without specifying the number of such accounts. “Upon lodging a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCCRP), the bank is notified which, in turn, then blocks the accounts (where the money is deposited) to stop the money from being transferred out further,” Makwana added.
The inspector said the callers had portrayed as if there was a threat to Mehta’s life as well as his family members; thus, compelling him to transfer the money to the culprits. Makwana said the police have not contacted FedEx as there is nothing the company can do here. “Anyone can claim to be from a particular company, there is nothing the company can do in such cases,” he said. Currently, the police have contacted Skype to gather more information.
An FIR was lodged against AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal for allegedly violating the model code of conduct by using loud Read more
Share price of liquor manufacturers majors United Spirits and Radico Khaitan plunged on Thursday after reports that Bihar has banned Read more
India needs to increase budgetary allocations for irrigation projects and offer higher procurement prices for crops to support farmers hit Read more
After high drama at a meeting of top leaders to name a successor to outgoing Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, Read more
