Tarun Karthick
Port Blair, 01 May 2024
In a distressing turn of events, a retired bank employee (senior citizen) residing in School Line, Port Blair, has become the latest victim of a sophisticated cyber scam, losing an amount of Rupees One Crore in the process. The victim, a retired bank employee, found herself ensnared in a web of deceit orchestrated by unidentified individuals posing as officials from various regulatory bodies and law enforcement agencies.
The ordeal began on the afternoon of March 7, 2024, when the victim received a call from a purported representative of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The caller, alleged that her phone number was associated with illegal advertising and harassing messages. The caller then threatened of disconnecting her mobile connection, if action wasn’t taken. However, when the victim started probing the legitimacy of the call, the conversation abruptly ended.
Undeterred by the failed attempt, scammers struck again later that day. The victim received another call, this time from another phone number. The caller claimed affiliation with the Anti Corruption Bureau in Mumbai and made alarming accusations of money laundering activities linked to the victim’s purported Canara Bank account in Mumbai. Despite the victim’s insistence on her innocence and lack of ties to such accounts, the caller persisted, even dragging unrelated individuals, such as Mr. Naresh Goel, Chairman of Jet Airways, into the fabricated narrative. The conversation left the victim rattled and fearing imminent arrest if she dared to seek help.
The harassment didn’t end there. On March 8, 2024, the victim received yet another call from the same number and upon the victim expressing inability to speak at that particular time, the caller informed that she would receive a follow-up call in two hours. Subsequent phone and Skype calls, coupled with coercive tactics, coerced the victim into transferring a staggering sum of money as “security deposits.” Under duress, she transferred Rs. 20 lakhs through RTGS to an account, followed by additional transfers of Rs. 60 lakhs and Rs. 20 lakhs on March 11 and March 13, 2024 to other accounts of the fraudsters.
Be aware and careful of all these tactics
Somehow these stories do not make sense. How can people part with these huge sums of money merely on the basis of phone calls.
There has to be something more to it
Any sensible person with some knowledge of such illegal tactics, would seek the help from local police station. The lady having a good exposure in cyber crime deterrence, failed to anticipate. This is unfortunate.
I guess, she had enough time to contact the Andaman and Nicobar Police Cyber Crime Department. What prevented her from doing so at the crucial time is inexplicable. As a Government of India ordinary employee about to retire in a year’s time, I can only sympathize at her plight, but a more responsible behaviour was expected from someone who had served in a bank.
Bank peoples and telecom companies are helping in loot business. Govt.is only busy in collections of taxes.General peoples are on God’s grace.Very painful.
Cybercrime police station can detect the beneficiaries a/c details and can trace/catch the fraudsters from concerned Banks’ KYC records.
Frauds online…
Rs 1 cr trfd to fraud accts. Why did banks not do a check of previous trxns and decide, the veracity of trxns by phoning the victim or spkg to her? Banks are mechanical. Rubber stamping. Why not use AI?
The amt must be recovered from the bank first and let the bank fight the fraudster. The press must gv fortnightly updates on the case. …not forget it after 15 days.
The lady did not exercise elementary caution and trfd amounts , as if possessed. There has to be a block by banks on first time trxn , especially if amts are large.
Mumbai 3May24