Thane:

Police have arrested a 30-year-old man from Khagaria town in Bihar for cheating a Navi Mumbai resident to the tune of more than Rs 14.88 crore in a share trading cyber fraud, an official said on Friday.

The Navi Mumbai police’s Cyber Cell tracked down and nabbed the accused, identified as Sujitkumar Madankumar Singh, who has connections in Cambodia where he worked at call centres and duped Indian citizens in scams, he said.

Senior inspector Gajanan Kadam of the Cyber Police station said an FIR was registered under relevant provisions of the new criminal code BNS and the IT Act on a complaint of the victim.

According to the complainant, between January and August 2024, he was cheated of Rs 14,88,91,665 in an online share trading scam.

Fraudsters lured the Navi Mumbai resident after assuring him of lucrative returns in investment in share trading, the police said.

Police worked on several leads, including technical and intelligence inputs, and zeroed in on the accused who was from Bihar. A police team rushed to the northern state and arrested him from Khagaria town, Kadam said.

During interrogation in police custody, it was revealed that between June 2023 and January 2024 and again February 2024 to June 2024, Singh was in Cambodia, where he worked in call centres and cheated Indians in cyber frauds, he informed.

He used to purchase SIM cards in India and supply them to his associates in Cambodia. Singh was a member in several Telegram groups and was connected to people from the Southeast Asian nation, said the inspector.

Primary probe revealed he was in contact with other associates in India as well, the official said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Social media platform WhatsApp followed by Telegram and Instagram remains one of the favourite hunting grounds for online scamsters, as per the latest report from the Union Home Ministry.

In the first three months of year 2024, total 43,797 complaints regarding cyber frauds through WhatsApp were received followed by 22,680 complaints against Telegram and 19,800 against Instagram.

The annual MHA report 2023-24 reads that cyber fraudsters have been using Google services platforms for initiating these crimes. Google Advertisement platform provides a convenient facility for targeted advertisement from across the border.

“This scam, known as “Pig Butchering Scam” or “Investment Scam” is a global phenomenon and involves large-scale money laundering and even cyber slavery. Unemployed youths, housewives, students, and needy people are targeted, who are losing large sums of money (even borrowed money) on a daily basis,” it reads.

Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) has partnered with Google and Facebook for sharing intelligence and signals for proactive actions, like flagging digital lending apps and its signals and abuse of Google’s Firebase domains (free hosting) by cyber fraudsters, Android Banking Malwares (Hashes), among others.

Sponsored Facebook ads are extensively used by organised cyber criminals to launch illegal lending apps in India. Such links are proactively identified and shared with Facebook, along with Facebook pages for necessary action, it further reads.

I4C is making efforts for the capacity building of all pillars of criminal justice system i.e. Law Enforcement Agencies, Forensic Examiners, Prosecutors and Judges for imparting training in cyber security, investigation of cybercrime and digital forensics in institutes across the country.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Bengaluru:

Four people, including the manager of a private bank, were arrested for allegedly siphoning off Rs 12.51 crore by stealing sensitive data from a company, police said on Saturday.

The matter came to light after the director of Dream Plug Pay Tech Solutions Private Limited (CRED) approached the police in November, alleging the siphoning of Rs 12.51 crore from the company’s accounts.

According to the police, the director alleged that the company’s nodal and current bank accounts were with the Indiranagar branch of Axis Bank in Bengaluru and that some unknown persons had gained access to the email addresses and contact numbers associated with these accounts.

Investigation revealed that the accused stole the company’s data, forged CIB forms, and duplicated signatures and seals to facilitate the transfer of Rs 12.51 crore to 17 different bank accounts in Gujarat and Rajasthan.

City Police Commissioner B Dayananda said that by using the phone number and email ID linked to the private company’s Axis Bank account, the accused faked corporate Internet banking forms and seals, enabling the transfer of Rs 12.51 crore to various accounts.

Bengaluru East CEN police investigated the case and arrested four people, including an Axis Bank manager in Gujarat.

“Rs 55 lakh that was transferred to 17 accounts has been frozen, and Rs 1,28,48,500 has been recovered from the accused along with two mobile phones. More accused are still at large, and the police are working to identify them,” he added. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Centre has introduced a new system to identify and block incoming international spoofed calls before they can reach Indian telecom subscribers. 

This comes amid a spate of incidents where users were “digitally arrested”, and threatened with mobile disconnection, cybercriminals even impersonation of government officials or law enforcement agencies, including false accusations involving drugs, narcotics, and sex rackets. Recently, Vardhaman Group head was cheated of Rs 7 crore. 

How Does The System Work

The system has been deployed in two phases – First, at the Telecom Service Provider (TSP) level, to prevent calls spoofed with phone numbers of their subscribers. Second, at a central level, to stop calls spoofed with the number of subscribers from other TSPs. 

The Centre said all four TSPs have successfully implemented the system.

The Centre said around 4.5 million spoofed calls are being stopped from entering the Indian telecom network. The next phase, involving a centralized system which will eliminate the remaining spoofed calls across all TSPs, is expected to be commissioned soon.

Recently, a fraudster impersonating Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, a fake virtual courtroom and documents closely resembling original ones were part of the elaborate plan through which Vardhman Group head SP Oswal was duped of Rs 7 crore.

Mr Oswal, chairman and managing director of the textile manufacturer, was put under “digital arrest” on August 28 and 29 and made to transfer Rs 7 crore into multiple accounts. Police have managed to freeze these accounts and recover over Rs 5 crore so far.

Read more: A Call, Digital Arrest, Rs 7 Crore Transferred: How Vardhman Boss Was Duped

One of the key techniques used by every scammer in a ‘digital arrest’ is surveillance and victims are asked to stay on a video call over Skype, Zoom or any such platform on their laptop and switch to a video call on their phone even if they move to another room. 

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, several victims have lost large amounts of money to scammers carrying out ‘digital arrests’.

Experts say the fear psychosis that scamsters create in the minds of their victims, makes them believe that whatever they are being told is real and they are indeed under investigation for serious crimes, with the potential of being locked up for an extended period if they don’t comply. 

Read more: Surveillance, Fear: How People Are Losing Crores To ‘Digital Arrest’ Scams

Next Course Of Action

Cybercriminals have devised new ways to scam people, trying to bypass technological safety measures deployed by the Centre to protect users. The Telecom department has urged people to report such crimes which would help the department to devise new strategies to counter cyber fraud.

The Centre has provided the Chakshu portal to report such calls on the ‘Sanchar Saathi’ platform. 

The Chakshu facility is a step towards safeguarding users from cyber fraud. It provides a streamlined process for reporting suspicious activities and helps in the early detection and prevention of potential fraud.

The telecom department is using AI tools to identify the mobile connections taken on forged documents or taken exceeding the prescribed limits for an individual. Such mobile connections along with telecom resources and mobile handsets used in fraudulent activities are being weeded out from the telecom ecosystem.

Chennai:

Jayanthi, a professor and former journalist from Tamil Nadu, has fallen victim to a sophisticated online scam, losing a significant portion of her life savings. The scammers, posing as police officers during a video call, accused her of money laundering and indulged in intimidation tactics to extort a hefty sum.

The perpetrators, who displayed Jayanthi’s Aadhaar card and claimed her bank account had been used for illicit activities, placed her under digital arrest, restricting her movement and communication. Over three days, they threatened to apprehend her unless she transferred Rs 10 lakh to what they claimed was an RBI account. Only later she realised she had been duped.

“They said an arrest warrant had been issued against me for laundering money,” Jayanthi recounted. “They claimed my Aadhaar and bank account were used for illegal purposes and told me not to tell anyone as they have invoked National Security Act.”

This incident is just one example of a growing trend of online scams targeting unsuspecting individuals across India. According to data from the Centre, a staggering Rs 10,100 crore has been siphoned off from hundreds of victims nationwide in the past two years. Chennai alone has seen losses amounting to Rs 132 crore, says the city police.

In Chennai Geetha (name changed), an insurance professional, lost Rs 4 lakh in a similar scam. She was kept under digital arrest right in her office cabin, with scamsters on a video call threatening her of cops waiting outside her office to arrest her if she did not part with her money.
“Although I was sure I was not involved in any illegal transactions, at that moment my concern was just to avoid any problem and shame. I didn’t think of anything beyond with reason,” Geetha said. A senior citizen, Sarala (name changed), a retired teacher, lost nearly Rs 1 crore in a similar fraud. Both of them shared their losses and the ordeal only after losing hefty money.

These scams, police say, are largely orchestrated by gangs operating from Cambodia, which lure individuals from India into cyber slavery. An estimated 12,000 Indians are currently trapped in these scam compounds, forced to perpetrate fraudulent activities against their own countrymen.

Recently, Cambodian authorities in India called for stricter measures against illegal recruiters in India who deceive individuals with promises of lucrative jobs abroad but instead trap them in these fraudulent schemes.

“For example, recruiters may advertise jobs in Australia but require training in Cambodia, where individuals become ensnared,” said Karthik Tillam, the Honorary Consul General of Cambodia. “I urge the Tamil Nadu authorities to be vigilant and prevent these recruiters from operating within their jurisdiction.”

Chennai Police has urged individuals to remain calm and alert in the face of such scams in the name of FedEx, BlueDart, Telecom or through matrimonial sites. They have asked the public to avoid answering calls from suspicious numbers. If confronted with suspicious calls or demands for money, it is crucial to immediately terminate the conversation and report the incident to authorities, police said. In the case of loss of cash, the police advise victims dialling 1930 immediately for assistance to potentially recover their lost funds.

New Delhi:

“No one can trace this number. It is fake…,” a scammer confesses, rattled after his mark turns the tables on him, in a video that has gone viral on X.

The video, posted on Tuesday, was retweeted by entrepreneur Deepak Shenoy, who wrote: “Well done there, scammer called him, he wasted scammer’s time, got the scammer riled up – at least someone else didn’t get scammed in that time. We need better solutions, of course. Hopefully, non-violent ones.”

Well done there,
– scammer called him
– he wasted scammers time
– got the scammer riled up
– at least someone else didn’t get scammed in that time

We need better solutions, of course. Hopefully, non violent ones. https://t.co/3XciOe9kEf

— Deepak Shenoy (@deepakshenoy) August 7, 2024

In the video, the caller tries to persuade the man to upload his private credentials in order to “receive” Rs 8,999 in his account.

The “phisher” urges the man to key in his UPI PIN, claiming that step will lead to the amount being credited into his account. “You need to enter the PIN for verification,” he insists.

The man plays along, prolonging the conversation and engaging the scamster while recording him. Finally, he calls him out.

“You want me to give my UPI PIN? You are trying to defraud me from a fake phone number?” he charges. The con artist pretends to be shocked at the allegation and denies any fraud.

His “victim” then points out: “Why should I key in my PIN to receive money? That is done only to send money?”

The conman finally drops the act and hurls abuses, saying: “There are many like you whom we have duped. You can’t do a thing to us. No one can trace this number.”

The man points out that the conversation is recorded and so is his voice. “I used a voice changer,” the scammer claims before disconnecting. The man then turns to the camera and urges those watching to amplify the video so others can be warned.

The video has garnered nearly 5 lakh views on X, though some users have questioned its authenticity and commented that it could be a scripted conversation.

Budaun (UP):

A tehsildar was duped of Rs 50,000 when he got a message from a person posing as the district magistrate asking him to send the amount to a bank account on priority, officials said here on Tuesday.

The message was sent from a WhatsApp account with the DM’s profile picture and name, they said.

Later when he contacted the DM, he realised that he had been duped by cyber criminals.

Police said the message was sent from an India number but being operated from Sri Lanka.

Additional Superintendent of Police Amit Kishore Srivastava said that a case has been registered against unknown people in the matter.

The amount transferred to a Bengaluru-based bank account has been put on hold and the process of refund has been initiated, police said.

Tehsildar (Sadar) Surendra Singh on Tuesday said that he was on duty for the Kanwar Yatra on Sunday evening when the incident happened.

He received a message from a WhatsApp number with the name and picture of Budaun District Magistrate Nidhi Srivastava, asking him to send Rs 50,000 to a bank account immediately.

Mr Singh said that he saw the message after about half an hour. By then, he received another message, asking him why the money had not been sent yet.

This made him nervous and without verifying the identity of the WhatsApp account, he transferred Rs 50,000 to the account mentioned.

After some time, he got another message still demanding the amount. This made him suspicious and he called up the district magistrate and asked her about it. Surprised by the tehsildar’s queries, the DM clearly denied that she had sent any such message, police said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

A Gurugram-based software engineer turned the tables on a cyber scammer who had attempted to trick him into updating his PAN details through a fraudulent link on behalf of the HDFC bank.

Instead of falling victim to the scam, Mr Gaurav Sharan, a cybersecurity analyst, responded to the scammer with an offer to redesign the scammer’s fake website for Rs 20,000.

Mr Sharan shared screenshots of this conversation on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), with the caption: “Lesson: Never mess with a developer.”

Lesson: Never mess with a developer pic.twitter.com/GSmtrdDo4A

— Gaurav Sharan (@GauravSharan09) July 27, 2024

When the scammer, posing as an HDFC Bank representative, asked Mr Sharan to open a link and update his PAN number, he cleverly replied, “Easy to find it is a scamming website. I am a software engineer, I can help you redesign the page. For 20K, I will help you redesign exactly like the HDFC net banking site.”

Mr Sharan’s offer to redesign the fake website intrigued the scammer and he requested a sample of the redesigned site via WhatsApp.

The tweet of the conversation has gone viral on social media amassing over 86000 views already with people using hashtags such as “Scam the Scanner” on the post. 

Varanasi, UP:

Mafia don Brijesh Singh’s son, Siddharth Singh, was duped of Rs 11 lakh by a cyber thug who promised him a dealership of a branded paint company, the police said.

Inspector Vijay Narain Mishra of the Cybercrime police station, said that an FIR has been lodged based on Singh’s complaint.

The FIR has been lodged under Sections 417 (cheating), 420, 465 (forgery), 468, 471 (forgery) of the IPC, and 66D of the IT Act.

The Cybercrime Cell has initiated an investigation into the case, he added.

In his complaint, Singh mentioned that after seeing an online advertisement for the allotment of a dealership of a prominent paint company, he contacted Amit Singley, who claimed to be the director of the company, using the mobile number provided in the advertisement in February.

Singley informed Singh that to apply for the dealership, he would have to deposit Rs 11,14,539 in the account of the Kalina (Mumbai) branch of a bank.

Singley also provided an account number and the necessary codes to transfer the money.

Singh said that on March 9, he transferred the same amount from his bank account to the account number provided by Singley, who also issued a confirmation letter acknowledging the receipt of the amount.

After this, Singley communicated with him on a few occasions, but later, his mobile number was found to be switched off.

Unable to contact him, Singh visited the company’s Mumbai office, where he was informed that neither Amit Singley was a director nor an employee of the company, and the company had not released any advertisement for the dealership.

Following these developments, Singh became certain that he had been cheated by a fraudster who had issued fake documents to dupe him of more than Rs 11 lakh, and he lodged a complaint.

Siddharth is the son of Brijesh Singh, who gained notoriety due to the war between him and the gang of his arch-rival, mafia don-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, who died on March 28.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The Centre has urged Indians, looking for work in Cambodia, to exercise caution when accepting any job opportunities and warned of false job advertisements and trafficking scams.

Indians are being “lured by fake promises of lucrative job opportunities in Cambodia” and “are falling into the trap of human traffickers”, the Centre said in its advisory.

On Thursday, in its advisory for Indians looking to work in Cambodia, the Ministry of External Affairs, or the MEA, said that one must go through authorised agents only and thoroughly check the employers’ backgrounds before migrating.

“It has come to attention that Indian nationals, lured by fake promises of lucrative job opportunities in Cambodia, are falling into the trap of human traffickers. These Indian nationals are coerced to undertake online financial scams and other illegal activities.” 

The MEA, through its mission in Phnom Penh, is working with Cambodian authorities to assist affected Indians, it said.

This comes days after reports claimed at least 5,000 Indians are being held against their will in Cambodia after being promised employment and are being forced to scam Indians back home by posing as law enforcement officials and catfish accounts on dating apps.

The sheer scale of the fraud – the Centre pegs the proceeds of crime generated over the past six months at a whopping Rs 500 crore – prompted the two countries to join forces to bring it all down.

So far, 250 Indians have been rescued and brought back to India by joint efforts of the MEA and Cambodian authorities, including 75 in the last three months. 

The Indian Embassy is “promptly responding to complaints from Indian nationals who were lured with employment opportunities to that country but were forced to undertake illegal cyber work,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.