A screenshot of a Skype call from a fake Delhi Police user ID
A company secretary was looted of Rs 51,000 by a gang of fake Delhi Police and CBI officers after threatening her with arrest over a "money laundering case".
The woman, a resident of Kolkata, in her police complaint said she received a call on June 6 from the fake Delhi Police officer, who told her there were 35 bank accounts in her name and they were being used to send money to criminals.
"Then they asked to download Skype and will record a statement from me on video call. They also asked for my Aadhaar, and told me to stay in a separate room so that no one interferes during the police investigation proceedings," the woman told NDTV.
She said the 'officer' told her to send the money in her bank account to be verified by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), after which it will be returned in 15 minutes following verification.
"They also issued an acknowledgement letter that I am a suspect in a money laundering case and if I won't transfer the funds they will take me into custody," she said.
The woman said she sent Rs 51,000 from her ICICI Bank account to an account in IndusInd Bank named 'Sri Lalita Agency' based in Andhra Pradesh's Vijayawada.
When she realised the fraud, she filed a complaint with a police station in Kolkata and on the cyber crime portal. She blocked her internet banking ID and informed the bank about the fraud.
Many Cases Across India
Many such cases in which the criminals used the same method to dupe people of their hard-earned money have been reported from across the country.
A retired senior executive of a multinational firm was coerced into paying Rs 85 lakh by a gang posing as CBI, customs, narcotics, and income-tax officers - all on Skype. A police case has been filed in Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam, where the fraud happened, and Delhi too.
The gang took the money by cheque, and transferred it to a company called 'Rana Garments', which operated an HDFC account in Delhi's Uttam Nagar. According to the first information report (FIR) filed with the police in Visakhapatnam, the gang transferred the money from the HDFC account run by 'Rana Garments' to 105 accounts across India.
HDFC Bank's Uttam Nagar branch has also filed a police complaint over fraud, the retired officer told NDTV.
The people who fell victim to the fraud have criticised banks for alleged lack of tighter monitoring of know your customer (KYC) rules. Some have even alleged insider involvement, such as in the case of the retired senior executive.
Most of the money transfers happened to other compromised bank accounts. The victims have questioned why investigators would take so long to follow the account and money trail.