Lucknow woman loses Rs 1.24 lakh to scammers posing as govt officials: Here’s how the scam unfolded

By now, you must have heard of the “Digital Arrest” scam. Digital arrest scams involve scammers posing as law enforcement officials to convince individuals into transferring over money. They use threats of arrest or legal action to create a sense of urgency. Fraudsters often follow a script that sounds official and may even transfer calls between different authorities to build credibility.

In a recent case, Ekta Chaturvedi, a resident of Alambagh in Lucknow, lost Rs 1.24 lakh. An FIR has been filed at Alambagh police station and a probe is ongoing.

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On October 18, Ekta received a WhatsApp call with the caller claiming to be from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The caller claimed that Ekta’s Aadhar number is linked with two mobile numbers-one of them is valid but another is unauthorised which is involved in money laundering activities.

Then, Ekta was connected to someone claiming to be in Mumbai Police Headquarters. Later that person directed her to transfer funds from her HDFC and Kotak bank accounts to verify her account balance. Believing in them, she transferred Rs 64,000 from her HDFC account  and Rs 60,000 from her Kotak account to the provided IDs.

Once the transaction was completed and no confirmation was received, she tried calling back to the same number but found it switched off and realised that she had been defrauded. On October 19, she filed a complaint with Cyber Cell in Hazratganj and further an FIR was lodged on 3rd November.

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How to protect yourself from such scams

Don’ts

• Never share personal information: Even if the call sounds authentic, never share any personal information and details with the caller.
• Watch for urgency: Scammers usually create a sense of urgency or some kind of psychological fear. Be cautious while sharing any information and do not fall into the trap.
• Always verify: Before sharing anything, always make sure to confirm the credibility of the call/message with the relevant organisation.

Do’s

• Report: If you ever receive any suspected call, report it to the authority immediately.