Navi Mumbai woman loses Rs 12 lakh in cyber fraud; four booked

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A Navi Mumbai woman from CBD Belapur in Maharashtra was allegedly cheated of Rs 12 lakh by cyber fraudsters, a police official said on Tuesday, adding that the police have booked four people in the matter, reported the PTI.

The incident occurred between October 23 and 25, he said.

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"The accused contacted the 33-year-old victim multiple times, falsely claiming to be representatives of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). They said she faces several charges like money laundering, human trafficking, illegal advertisements and public harassment," the official said, as per the PTI.

They also told her that if she wants her hassles to end, she will have to pay a total of Rs 12.35 lakh. She followed their instructions and transferred the amount. However, after doing so, she failed to establish contact with them. She realised that she had been duped, he said.

Based on her complaint, the police registered a case on October 27 under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 204 (personating a public servant), 318(4) (cheating), 319(2) (cheating by personation), 3(5) (common intention), he said, the news agency reported.

Mumbai: Senior citizen placed under 'digital arrest' by online fraudsters, forced to pay Rs 14 lakh

Meanwhile, in an another incident, a 67-year-old Mumbai-based woman was placed under "digital arrest" by online fraudsters, who forced her to pay Rs 14 lakh in exchange of clearing her name in a non-existent money laundering case, police have said, reported the PTI.

Speaking about the case involving the elderly woman, a police official on Monday said, "The accused posed as Delhi Telecom Department and Cyber Crime branch personnel. They placed her under 'digital arrest' after accusing her of being involved in a high-profile money laundering case. The crime took place between September 1 and 5. The victim stays in Mumbai's Kandivali West with her sister-in-law," according to the PTI.

"A case was registered on Saturday on her complaint at North Region Cyber police station. As per the complaint, the woman received a call on September 1 from a person who identified himself as an official of Delhi Telecom Department. She was told that a case was registered against her at Delhi Cyber crime branch. The accused told the woman that her Aadhaar card was used in the crime," he said, the news agency reported on Tuesday.

As per the advisory of cyber-security agency CERT-In, a digital arrest is the one in which victims receive a phone call, an e-mail or a message claiming they are under investigation for illegal activities, such as identity theft or money laundering.

"The scammer threatens the victim with arrest or legal consequences unless he takes immediate action. They often create a sense of panic to prevent rational thinking. Under the guise of "clearing their name", "assisting with the investigation" or "refundable security deposit/escrow account", individuals are coerced into transferring large sums of money to specified bank accounts or UPI IDs," the advisory said.

(with PTI inputs)