Scam Alert! How scammers fool you by impersonating police officers | #whatsapp | #lovescams | #phonescams

Since the advent of the internet, online scams—also referred to as internet scams—have been a problem. However, as con artists continue to find new ways to trick people, they have grown more common. Unsettlingly, our susceptibility to these attacks has risen thanks to smartphones. Cybercriminals may contact potential victims through personal or business email accounts, social networking sites, dating apps, or other means in an effort to get financial or other sensitive personal information. The victim loses their money in a number of efficient online frauds.

Geetika Rustagi, a Twitter user, recently become a victim of one of these internet scams. The user, who works as the community engagement editor for Hindustan Times, revealed how she fell victim to a con by a man posing as a FedEx employee in a lengthy line of tweets that were sent on January 10 on Tuesday.

In her opening statement, Rustagi explained that this morning she received a call from a number posing as FedEx “customer support” informing her that a box associated with her Aadhar ID had been flagged because it included certain illicit products.

She was told that the parcel, which they stated was sent on December 13, 2022, fromMumbai, contained 800 gms of marijuana in addition to other stuff. Given that she did not even reside in Mumbai, the Twitter user in this instance acknowledged that she had not sent any such package.

Rustagi was informed that because her package included illicit things, her call would be transferred to theMumbai Police Cyber Cell. She panicked, which is a common psychological response to such circumstances that con artists take advantage of.

The woman went on to describe how the phoney Fed Ex customer service redirected her call to department SI Naresh Gupta Banerjee, whose Whatsapp ID she had been given. Again, there is no indication that this individual genuinely works for the department.

By telling the victim that her statement was being taped, the so-called SI attempted to frighten her. She was also informed by him that his office had obtained CCTV footage of the warehouse where the package was left.

The victim described how the SI feigned to speak with his coworkers in order to determine whether her Aadhar was being used improperly. He continued by informing her that SBI, Yes Bank, and Citibank Bank had opened numerous bank accounts using her Aadhar.

“Several millions of dollars are being laundered through these accounts, and your ID is being used for hawala transactions. All this is being orchestrated by someone called Gerold, who has been arrested byMumbai Police. These screen grabs were shared by the above guy,” she wrote.

Geetika Rustagi detailed how someone provided her a paper that declared her a party to the case and forbade her from speaking to anyone in order to further illuminate how the con artist expertly persuaded her to fall for his deception.

After that, he inquired about my bank account and financial situation. Have I recently received any big amounts? Have you received any calls or emails asking you to open a bank account? He then informed me that if I comply, the situation would be resolved in 20 to 30 minutes,” she tweeted.

The victim was then instructed to send Rs 95,499 to the con artist in order for them to check her accounts to see whether they had been compromised and to confirm account information. They promised her they would give her her money back in 15 minutes. She was instructed to stay on the call until the transaction was completed.

The scammer emailed the victim a copy of the fictitious acceptance receipt she would receive after transferring the big amount when she hesitated to do so and requested a guarantee.

Scammers convinced people of their authenticity by using a fake government stamp.

A closer look at the purported acknowledgement receipt reveals how thefraudsters impersonated a real government stamp by using a stamp that looked identical to it. The State Emblem, which the Government of India employs as a stamp on its official documents for official purposes, is also used as a watermark on the receipt in addition to the foregoing.

The imposter allegedly threatened to freeze the victim’s bank accounts for two to three years when she rejected to provide the money. Additionally, he made an effort to intimidate her by demanding payment or having her visit the Mumbai department in person. After the victim agreed to go to Mumbai, the fraudster hung up.

Fortunately, the victim in this case was able to dodge the trap, but not everyone is. Despite the authorities busting numerous cybercrimes, many con artists still lure unwary people into parting with their cash and personal information. We see these things on a daily basis, yet despite repeated warnings from banks, service providers, and the central bank, some people fall victim to such a trap.

TheNational Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) estimates that between 2016 and 2020, cybercrime rose in India by 306%. Additionally, due to the prevalence of cybercrimes, around 66% of instances reported each year are still under investigation, placing a responsibility on every netizen to take precautions against such crimes.