Elderly man placed under digital arrest, conned of ₹14 lakh

A 70-year-old man from Hyderabad was placed under ‘digital arrest’ and defrauded to the tune of ₹14 lakh in a latest impersonation fraud case.

The victim received a video call claiming to be from the Delhi Police. The caller informed that a FIR was filed against the victim by the Special Investigation Team of Delhi Police and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) following orders from the Supreme Court, Reserve Bank of India and the Finance Ministry.

The victim was asked to join a WhatsApp video call to verify his ID. The fraudster, in police uniform, stated that the victim’s ID had been used to open a Bank of Baroda account for money laundering transactions. He was then connected to a CBI officer for a ‘priority investigation’, who sent an arrest order and freezing order, stating that more cases will be filed if the victim revealed the details to anyone.

The fraudster enquired about the victim’s account balance and instructed him to go to the bank with his passbook and cheque and transfer funds from his account for ‘inspection’. The victim transferred ₹14 lakh via RTGS fearing arrest, only to later learn from his son about the scam.

In his complaint, the victim claimed that the scammers were still asking him to report to them every hour on WhatsApp.

Published - November 02, 2024 07:35 pm IST