A 61-year-old woman from Gurugram was cheated by an unidentified fraudster whom she met through social media in the name of customs clearance. The fraudster introduced himself as a pilot and looted Rs. 2 crores from her.
The police received the complaint and lodged the FIR against the unidentified fraudsters under section 419, 420 of Indian Penal Code and 66-D under Information Technology Act, 2000 with the Cyber Police Station.
According to the complainant, the fraudster issued a request while masquerading as a British Airways pilot. She was also informed that she was receiving a surprise gift that included several accessories, including an iPhone.
The scammer demanded the victim’s address and phone number before offering to provide the parcel in exchange for Rs. 35,000. She made the payment. But, after a while she received a call from a fraudster posing as an airport official demanding her to pay a fine of Rs. 1 lakh.
The woman again paid Rs. 95,000 on an assurance from the fraudster that she’ll get the penalty money back after the formalities. The police claimed that she got cheated again by another call to pay Rs. 2 lakhs in the name of a certificate required for the currency exchange from US Dollars (USD) to Indian Rupee (INR).
On December 9, 2022, the fraudsters sent an SMS from another number claiming to be from ‘United Nations Anti-Terrorist Department’, saying that she had to get a clearance form for the package. She was asked to pay a huge sum.
The lady was forced to pledge her jewellery and transfer the amount to the account of the scammers. She transferred Rs. 1,09,50,000 (One crore nine lakhs fifty thousand) by selling her plot and borrowing money from her relatives.
She was then asked to take money out of the joint account with her son as well. When the son received a communication from the bank about the withdrawal, he inquired about the same to the woman. Only then did she realise that everything had been a fraud. She almost lost Rs. 2 crore through the swindle, according to the reports.
These scammers are defrauding the public on a daily basis. Many people are taken advantage of every day by these scammers despite the public warnings that the central government has made. The current instance is one of fraud.
Another scheme used by the fraudsters to defraud individuals is the loan scam. By demanding a specified sum from the victims, the scammers guarantee a specific amount as a loan. Innocent people who urgently need money and have no collateral, pay the sum demanded by the fraudsters.
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