Mumbai: A 70-year-old retired man lost Rs 2.6 lakh after falling prey to the digital arrest scam wherein fraudsters accuse the target of illegal activities and threaten action from law agencies. The Vakola police have registered an FIR against an unidentified individual for cheating on November 22.
About The Case
According to the police, J A Periera, a resident of Santacruz East, received a call from a person claiming to be a police officer around 2.52pm on November 14. The latter informed him that his contact number was involved in criminal activities and that multiple FIRs had been filed against him. The scammer intimidated Periera by warning him of legal consequences. He later made a video call to the senior citizen, directed him not to step out from November 14 to 20.
Subsequently, the fraudster sought the man's personal details on the pretext of an investigation. A frightened Periera shared his banking and Aadhaar card details for 'verification' purposes. On November 21, the scammer sent him the details of an account, asking him to transfer money. He assured that it was part of the investigation and the amount will be refunded once the FIR was disposed of.
The con finally came to the fore when Periera's daughter found his chat exchange with the fake cop. Subsequently, a case was filed under the Information Technology Act.
About Another Case
In another similar fraud reported from Malad, a 54- year-old retired teacher lost Rs 23 lakh after coming across a share trading application, while surfing the internet.
Subsequently, she came in contact with one Ankur Kedia, who added her to a WhatsApp group. According to the police, the group administrator convinced the complainant to make investments with the lure of lucrative returns.
From May 12 to July 4, she transferred Rs2 lakh and could even see her profits rising on a bogus digital platform. However, she failed to withdraw the funds. Later, the police arrested one Shivam Verma, 25, in Mira Road. Further investigation revealed that he had met a cybercriminal at a bar, who offered him Rs25,000 in lieu of using his account to receive the fraudulently obtained money.
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