Cyber fraud alert: Criminals pose as NCB officials, Mumbai woman loses Rs 2 lakh via phone call

Cyber fraud is a rising concern all over the world. Many tips to prevent cyber fraud are also available in the public space. Recently a woman from Mumbai has been duped of Rs 2 lakh via cyber fraud.  The woman works in an IT firm and she received a call from the officials of the Narcotics Department who told her that her Adhaar card number is linked with criminal groups. 

On Tuesday, the woman was called by an unknown number who claimed that he worked in a courier service agency and that her parcel to Taiwan will be delayed due to some difficulties. 

When the woman told the caller that she had not sent any courier to Taiwan, the caller advised her to lodge an online complaint with the police as the parcel contains five passports, two credit cards and some intoxicants. 

Puzzled by the situation, the woman sought help from the caller. The caller then transferred her call to a person who claimed to be police personnel and that as the issue is related to drugs, he is connecting the call to the narcotics department. 

After that, the woman was asked to convey her Adhaar card number. She told the caller her Adhaar number, they informed her that this Adhaar number was linked to a gangster's bank account. The caller then asked her to download the online video calling app, Skype. 

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She downloaded the app and used the caller's app ID, 'Narcotics Department' to log in. After this the victim and the accused connected on Skype. 

The fraudsters convinced her to fill out a form with her bank details in it and deposit Rs 98,888 from two different accounts. She was assured that this account will be credited to her once the matter is resolved.

The victim did as told and waited for some time. Later on, she realised that she has fallen victim to cyber fraud. The IT professional then reported the incident at a nearby police station. As per the FIR, a complaint has been filed against the fraudster under IPC 419, 420 and 66 (C), 66 (D).