Hyderabad: An 82-year-old retired employee was duped of Rs 1.38 crore by a cyber fraudster impersonating as a Mumbai Police officer, who threatened to arrest him in connection with an alleged money laundering case.
The Cyberabad Cybercrime Police registered a case based on the victim's complaint and investigations were initiated.
On September 16, the elderly man, a resident of KPHB, received a call and the person claimed himself to be a Mumbai Police officer. The caller informed him that an arrest warrant was issued against him in connection with a money laundering case and provided him with a phone number, advising him to contact the cybercrime department. Frightened, the man called the number and was connected to a person, who posed as a cybercrime officer.
The fraudster asked for the victim's Aadhaar card details, which he had immediately provided. Soon after, the victim received a video call, during which a man in a police uniform appeared on the screen and presented a fake arrest warrant, allegedly issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Using this fake document, the cyber thugs compelled the elderly man to share his bank account details.
Next, a person posing as Deputy Commissioner of Police, told the victim that if he transferred a certain fee then they would verify the legitimacy of his transactions and return the money within 15 minutes.
The victim initially provided Rs 70 lakh and between September 18 to 26, he ended up transferring a total of Rs 1.38 crore as asked by the scammers.
The victim's family and friends became suspicious when he started asking them for money. Upon revealing the details of the calls and transactions, they realised that it was a scam and promptly filed a police complaint. A case was registered on Monday.
Police have warned the public to remain cautious against online scams, advising against sharing personal information or transferring funds without verification. If anyone suspects any fraudulent activity, they should report it to the police immediately, police added.
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