A Noida woman fell victim to a scam, losing Rs 34 lakh.
The victim was held under a digital arrest for 24 hours.
The scam began with a phone call from a person claiming to be an officer from the narcotics department.
In a shocking cybercrime case, a 48-year-old woman from Noida fell victim to an elaborate scam, losing Rs 34 lakh. This serves as a stark reminder of how sophisticated fraudsters are becoming, targeting unsuspecting individuals with convincing tactics.
The victim, a project manager at an IT company and a resident of Sector 41, was held under a digital arrest for 24 hours on August 8. Rs 10 lakh of the stolen amount has been recovered.
According to police, the fraud began with a phone call from a person claiming to be an officer from the narcotics department. The caller alleged that a parcel containing illegal items was returned to a parcel office in Mumbai and that the parcel had the victim’s Aadhaar card as identification, reports TOI.
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When the woman denied sending such a parcel, the call was transferred to another number, supposedly connected to the Mumbai Crime Branch. SHO Vijay Gautam from the Cybercrime Branch said, “Later, the fraudsters connected with the victim through Skype and threatened her to cooperate or end up in jail.”
On the pretext of an investigation, the scammers convinced her into sharing her financial details and even taking out a pre-approved loan of Rs 20 lakh. Believing their threats, she transferred the loan amount along with her savings of Rs 14 lakh to a bank account provided by the fraudsters. It wasn’t until the fraudsters cut off all contact that she realised she had been deceived.
Also read: Engineer loses Rs 51 lakh in bitcoin scam: Here’s what happened
How to protect yourself from such scams
- Verify caller claims: Always double-check the authenticity of anyone claiming to be from an official department.
- Never share financial details: Avoid sharing sensitive information over calls or online.
- Look out for red flags: Be cautious if asked to transfer money urgently or take loans.
- Report: If you suspect foul play, report the matter immediately to the authorities.
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Ayushi Jain
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