MUMBAI: A 25-year-old postgraduate student lost Rs 7.3 lakhs to a fraudster who called pretending to be a TRAI (Telephone Regulatory Authority of India) official. The scammer claimed her Aadhar Card details were misused to obtain another mobile number involved in illegal activities. BB Yogeshkumar filed a complaint with the Powai police on Monday after becoming suspicious when the fraudster repeatedly asked about her bank details.
The scammer claimed there were 17 complaints against her and transferred the call to an alleged cyber crime cell for investigation. “The fraudster declared that she was under ‘digital arrest’ and warned of imminent police action. According to Powai police, the victim complied with demands to break her Fixed Deposits (FD) and transfer the funds,” said a police officer of the Powai police station.
The incident took place on Monday at 11.01 am when she received the call from the impersonator who claimed to represent TRAI. In the complaint, the victim stated: “I got scared and thought of my future when the person claimed to be a cop and threatened arrest as there are 17 complaints against me. I was told that to transfer money after the fraudster inquired about my savings in the bank. I was asked to break the FD and transfer the same to a account for investigation and was assured refund once the probe is over.”
The victim became wary when asked for more banking details and conducted an online search. She approached the police after learning about the ‘digital arrest’ scam. “The cyber team has sought details from the bank to block the account to which the victim transferred the money. Meanwhile, the team is tracking the caller. It is repeatedly warned to people that no law authorities in India will go for digital arrest. So people should be careful about such frauds,” said the police.