Mumbai: A 25-year-old postgraduate student lost Rs 7.3 lakh to a fake Telephone Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) official who claimed that her Aadhaar ID had been used to procure a sim card involved in illegal activities, put her under ‘digital arrest’, and demanded that she pay for a refundable assessment of her bank account.
According to a complaint filed by the victim, B B Yogeshkumar, with Powai police, the conman claimed that 17 complaints had been lodged against her and transferred the call to a fake cybercrime cell for investigation.
The student said she got a call from the fake TRAI official on Monday. “I got scared and thought of my future when the person claimed to be a cop and threatened arrest saying there are 17 complaints against me,” she said in her complaint.
She said the fraudster also told her that her bank account had been used for money laundering and to clear up her name, she should transfer the funds linked to it to another account for an assessment, assuring her that the money would be refunded after the probe. A police officer said the victim complied with the demand, broke her fixed deposit and transferred the funds to him.
The student became suspicious only after the fraudster repeatedly demanded her bank account details. She did an online search and realised that she had fallen prey to the ‘digital arrest’ con, which involves fraudsters posing as law enforcement officials on calls, threatening victims with arrest over fake charges and coercing them into transferring large sums of money.
She approached police soon after. “The cybercrime 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,” said the officer, adding that no enforcement authorities in India can carry out a ‘digital arrest’.