A woman from Mangaluru in Karnataka allegedly lost Rs. 3.17 crore after fraudsters posing as police manipulated her into transferring the money over the course of 17 days. The woman lodged a complaint on Sunday with the Cyber Economic and Narcotics Crime (CEN) police station.
Mangaluru Woman Duped Of Over 3 Crore In Digital Arrest Fraud
A ‘digital arrest’ is a tactic where scammers, masquerading as law enforcement or government officials exploit fear to take control of a person's digital presence and extort money or personal data.
According to the complaint, she first received a call on June 6 with the person claiming to be an officer from the National Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP). The caller had claimed that a sim card was activated in her husband's name and was being “misused,” PTI reported.
The fraudsters called her several times and collected her personal and banking details. They also asked her to make multiple fund transfers, assuring her that the money would be returned after verification. As a result, she transferred Rs. 3.17 crore between June 10 and 27.
According to the FIR, the scam commenced with one person posing as a police officer before the call was transferred. Finally, a third person claiming to be a Public Prosecutor joined the conversation under the pretense of conducting a formal verification process. Under threat of legal action, the woman transferred the money for verification purposes, The Indian Express reported. They allegedly asked her not to reveal the matter to anyone.
The woman said that the fraudsters suddenly stopped all communication and blocked her number. The police said that the woman approached them after she spoke to her children and realised that she had been duped.
A similar fraud was recently reported in Hyderabad, the police said and urged the public to be cautious when responding to unknown callers posing as "law enforcement authorities".
With PTI inputs.
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