Beware of Cyber Thieves: Pune Residents Duped of Lakhs in Fraudulent Schemes
Pune, 27th April 2024: There is a disturbing trend emerging wherein citizens are being deceived through the pretence of discovering narcotics, counterfeit passports, or foreign currency in parcels intercepted at the airport. Perpetrators resort to invoking the threat of false investigations by invoking the names of central agencies. Recently, cyber thieves have duped three individuals of a total sum of Rs. 65 lakh six thousand in various fraudulent schemes in Pune.
Initially, cyber thieves fabricate the discovery of illicit items within the courier. They instil fear by mentioning potential actions by agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). Victims are then coerced into paying fines to evade investigation and legal repercussions.
On April 21, cyber thieves targeted a resident of the Shivajinagar area, who worked in a private company, by contacting their mobile phone. They falsely claimed to have intercepted a FedEx courier package addressed to the victim, purportedly containing five passports and narcotics intended for delivery to Thailand. The victim was then threatened with potential prosecution by the Mumbai Crime Branch for alleged involvement in black money transactions. The frightened citizen succumbed to the pressure and transferred a sum of 49 lakh 37 thousand rupees to the cyber thieves. Upon realizing the deceit, the victim promptly complained to the Chaturshringi Police Station.
In another incident, a youth from the Sinhagad Road area fell victim to cyber fraud, losing an amount of Rs. 11 lakh 21 thousand. The deception involved enticing the youth with promises of online tasks that would yield lucrative returns, purportedly through likes on videos and advertisements on social media platforms, along with work-from-home opportunities. The victim was instructed to deposit the aforementioned sum into a bank account. However, following the transaction, the cyber thieves ceased all communication. The victim reported the incident to the Sinhagad Road Police Station.
In another instance, An elderly woman fell victim to cyber theft, losing an amount of Rs 5 lakh 15 thousand under the pretext of updating her bank account. The incident prompted the woman to file a complaint at the Sinhagad Road Police Station.
The cyber thieves initiated contact with the woman via her mobile phone, claiming that the bank was in the process of updating its records. They instilled fear by suggesting that failure to update the account would result in its closure. Deceived by this ruse, the woman provided confidential information related to her bank account. The thieves exploited this information to make online withdrawals from her account.
