On September 5, a woman working in corporate and based in Gurugram (earlier known as Gurgaon), received a seemingly innocent call from a number, and it happened to be the biggest nightmare. What followed was a number of events which turned her month into a complete trauma, by stealing all her life savings from her bank account. Here's what exactly happened.
Gurugram victim lost her lifelong savings via a single voice call
It was reported by the victim (name not to be mentioned), that she got a suspicious call, claiming to be from DHL who said that they had caught some drugs and she would have to face the consequences. Despite of woman proving her to do nothing with the courier, she was convinced that she would be in big trouble. And was transferred to take this call further via Skype, a video conferencing application, owned by Microsoft.
Within an hour of the call (voice call and Skype), the lady lost her lifesaving and by the time she realised the scam, she already transferred the money. Later when she followed up with the police and the bank, she got to know that the amount was instantly broken into small amounts and transferred to multiple other bank accounts. It was also stated that the money was put into Binance, which is a crypto trading portal.
She filed the complaint in September 2024, just after the incident, and for a month, she had been following up with the police and bankers from HDFC, but no help was provided. She also filed an FIR for the cybercrime and has been reportedly going to court (As per the date given), but no action was taken which could be of some help to the victim (she reported).
Fake Police involved in the cybercrime: Senario creation
- Under avid pressure, the woman was asked to provide a statement against the “acquisition of sending drugs and being involved in illegal activities” over a video call on Skype, during which her house was virtually inspected.
- Fearful of the consequences and wanting to clear her name from the fake sham, she complied with their every demand.
Fake arrest and extortion attempt on the victim
- An innocent person again became a victim of cyber fraud. The victim was shown fake documents, including an arrest warrant with her name on it, and was accused of drug trafficking and money laundering.
- She was asked for her bank details and other financial information over the call.
- The callers manipulated her fear to extract as much information as possible. The entire ordeal was a well-planned scam, which was designed to exploit her vulnerabilities over the call and scare her.
Who is responsible for such cyber crimes?
In light of incidents like these, one must ask if the authorities are doing enough to combat cyber fraud in India.
- Why banks are easily transferring such a big amount from the sender, without making any verification call to the account holders?
- Why is Microsoft’s Skype not taking any strict measures in such incidents?
- Why platforms like Binance are still operational in India, where these fraudsters are putting all their robbed money?
- Why no strict rules are being implemented on online transfers of big sums of money?
A wake-up call for Digital Safety
The victim from Gurugram who experienced this traumatic incident is a reminder to all, that our bank accounts and all the details are just a call away from being robbed. Hence, we all need to add an extra layer of protection to our bank accounts and be alert when taking calls from unknown callers.
But the main question that arises here is what the Indian government, leading online platforms, banks and other bodies are doing, to fight against cyber crimes.
MUST READ: Money transfer scam targeting senior citizens: How to stay safe and avoid falling prey?
