A 37-year-old woman from Thane has fallen victim to an elaborate scam, losing ₹3.91 lakh to fraudsters who posed as police officers and officials from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The incident, which took place in late June, underscores the increasing sophistication of cybercrime in India, where unsuspecting individuals are often tricked into parting with large sums of money.
The woman, whose identity has been kept confidential, received a phone call on June 29 from an unknown number. The caller claimed that a money laundering case had been registered against her and that she was now under investigation. In an attempt to bolster their claims, the fraudsters switched the call to a video chat, where the woman saw a man dressed in a police uniform, with several Aadhar cards displayed on the table in front of him.
The supposed officer introduced himself as a member of the Lucknow police and informed the woman that they had apprehended an individual in Bandra in connection with a money laundering case. According to the scammer, during the investigation, they had recovered a mobile phone, a KYC letter, and a SIM card, all of which were allegedly linked to her Aadhar card. The woman was also told that she had purchased the SIM card from Lucknow.
Despite her insistence that she had no involvement in the matter, the caller escalated the situation, threatening that the case would be handed over to the CBI for further investigation. Shortly thereafter, another individual, claiming to be a CBI officer, took over the conversation, continuing to press the woman for her involvement in the purported crime.
“The CBI officer said that if I wanted to prove my innocence, I would need to either travel to Lucknow to file an FIR or I could file one online,” the woman recounted in her statement to the police. The fraudster, in an effort to intimidate her further, even sent a fake arrest warrant. Fearful of the consequences, the woman agreed to file the FIR online.
The scammer then instructed her to pay ₹3.50 lakh for the FIR and an additional ₹41,000 as stamp duty, directing her to deposit the funds into a bank account they provided. Believing the situation to be dire, the woman transferred the money, after which she received a fraudulent notarised document titled “Supervision Acknowledgement,” claiming that the funds would be held securely until the investigation was concluded.
It was only later, when the woman checked her phone and discovered that all the messages from the scammers had been deleted, that she realized she had been duped. She immediately approached the police, who have since launched an investigation into the matter.
Second Case: Kharghar Woman Loses ₹36.8 Lakh in Crypto Trading Scam
In a related incident, a 44-year-old woman from Kharghar was swindled out of ₹36.80 lakh by scammers posing as cryptocurrency trading experts. The victim was added to a WhatsApp group on April 3, where she was introduced to online crypto trading. The scammers, masquerading as experts, guided her through buying and selling cryptocurrencies, which initially appeared to yield profitable returns.
As her profits grew, the woman decided to invest more heavily, ultimately trading ₹36.80 lakh through the platform recommended by the scammers. However, when she attempted to withdraw her earnings, she was informed that her withdrawal would be processed after June 23. When the funds did not materialize, she confronted the scammers, who then claimed that a Financial Action Task Force (FATF) inquiry had halted the withdrawal process.
Realizing she had been deceived, the woman filed a complaint with the police, providing detailed information about the WhatsApp group, the bogus web link, the trading app, and all related transactions. Authorities have registered a case under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act, including charges of criminal breach of trust and identity theft.
These incidents serve as stark reminders of the dangers posed by cybercriminals, who continue to exploit technology and social engineering tactics to deceive victims. The police have urged the public to remain vigilant and to verify the authenticity of any suspicious communications, particularly those involving financial transactions or legal threats.
