5 days Ago
Kolkata: Imagine receiving a message asking you to go online and join court proceedings — lasting several hours — for allegedly "either watching illegal child porn" or "placing orders for drugs and other illegal items". Kolkata Police has cautioned netizens to be aware of a new form of digital fraud where the accused are holding live court proceedings and also announcing punishments to force victims to pay up. To drive home their point, cops are citing the possible international connection in which a 59-year-old executive of a company in Bengaluru, believing that his Know Your Customer (KYC) documents were used for money laundering, lost Rs 59 lakh to cybercriminals after being held hostage online overnight.
Interestingly, the cybercriminals recreated a courtroom complete with a judge on a video call to dupe the victim. Cops believe that Kolkata was used to park this ill-gotten money. This new network of cyber fraudsters, believed to be run from casinos-turned-call centres in Southeast Asia, is used by scammers dressed as cops to deceive and extort victims.
Kolkata Police officers claimed that fake officers wear pyjamas below the police uniform as they make calls posing as Delhi or Mumbai Police officers. The scammers, who earlier used fake summons to intimidate their victims and extort money from their targets, sometimes running into crores, are now posing as judges and legal officers instead. These operations are being operated from several locations in Cambodia and Myanmar, claimed sources, though copycats have emerged across the country.
The GPS coordinates shared in the investigation have identified specific hubs both inside and outside the country, where these call centres are believed to operate. Cops believe Indians holed up in Cambodia and Myanmar might also be part of the network. "Digital arrest frauds began last year when threat calls were made on behalf of central agencies like CBI, NCB or NIA, as well as Delhi Police and Mumbai Police, to targets.
It turned sinister early this year as the modus operandi changed. The accused started threatening the arrest of children studying outside the city, sending recorded IVRS calls, and using fake court orders. This one is another form of the same," said an officer.
Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India . Don't miss daily games like Crossword , Sudoku , and Mini Crossword ..
