A real estate developer in Ahmedabad was allegedly duped of ₹1 crore in a digital arrest scam where fraudsters posing as police officers from the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) accused him of sending an illegal drug-laden parcel, NDTV reported.
HT cannot independently verify this information.
The incident happened on July 3 this year. The builder received a call from a person claiming to be a representative from the FedEx courier company.
The person informed the builder that a parcel containing 550 grams of illegal drugs had been seized under his name. The builder was also told that the call would be transferred to police officers from the NCB, which had registered a case against him, the report added.
Also read: ‘Digital arrest’ scams: ED reveals eight-member gang’s modus operandi, I4C issues fresh advisory
Police said the scammer had been monitoring the builder’s activities and gained his confidence by citing his recent ₹50 crore land deal.
The builder informed the police that a man posing as an NCB ‘official’ appeared on a Skype video call and asked him to record a statement online. The NCB ‘officer’ also alleged that other investigative agencies like the CBI and ED would investigate his ‘suspicious’ bank transactions.
After convincing the builder that he had committed a crime, the NCB ‘officer’ allegedly asked the man to transfer ₹1 crore, which he promised would be returned in ten days, to avoid further prosecution.
Also read: Indians lose ₹120 crore in digital arrest frauds, 46% of digital scamsters from Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia
The scammer, citing land deals, made the builder believe that he had been apprehended by law enforcement officers.
According to the NDTV report, the builder realised he had been scammed only after the money was not returned and repeated attempts to contact the scammers failed.
Four months later, he approached the Ahmedabad cyber crime cell to register a complaint, the report said.
FedEx clarifies
Reacting to the incident, the company said it never contacts its customers requesting personal information.
“If any individual receives any suspicious phone calls or messages, they are advised not to provide their personal information. Instead, they should immediately contact the local law enforcement authorities within the vicinity or report to the cybercrime department,” said the company, as per an India Today report.
