Digital Arrest Hoax: How a 77-Year-Old Woman Was Duped of ₹3.8 Crore in a Month-Long Online Fraud

Digital Arrest Hoax: A shocking online fraud targeted a 77-year-old woman in Mumbai, who was swindled of ₹3.8 crore over a month. The fraudsters, posing as law enforcement officers, convinced her that she was under investigation for money laundering. They coerced her into transferring money via a fake police app and manipulated her with threats and promises of reimbursements. After transferring funds from her and her husband’s accounts, the woman grew suspicious and reported the case to the authorities, prompting an investigation.

By Joseph Mathews Nov 26, 2024, 16:51 IST

Digital Arrest Hoax: In a shocking case that has stunned Mumbai, a 77-year-old woman was deceived by a fake police officer who kept her trapped in a month-long digital scam, ultimately swindling her out of ₹3.8 crore. The woman, living in South Mumbai with her 75-year-old retired husband while their children live abroad, received a WhatsApp call from the fraudsters claiming that a parcel addressed to her had been intercepted in Taiwan. The parcel allegedly contained drugs, clothes, and bank cards in her name.

Despite denying all such claims initially, the scamster manipulated the woman by matching her Aadhaar card details, then transferred her call to another fake officer, who introduced himself as IPS officer "Anand Rana." The fraudsters, masquerading as lawmen, accused her of being involved in a money laundering case and threatened her into downloading a "Sky app" for communication.

She was forced to transfer money into different bank accounts under the pretext of "investigating" her finances, and even spied upon during video calls and checked her live location, asking her to transfer funds from her personal account to theirs and threatening with further legal trouble if she didn't do that. At one point, they returned ₹15 lakh to her in order to gain her trust before pushing her to transfer even more money, this time from her husband's account.

She transferred money to six different accounts over the course of a month, amounting to a whopping ₹3.8 crore. She became suspicious only when the fraudsters did not return her money as promised. She confided in her daughter, who advised her to go to the police. The woman approached the Maharashtra police and lodged a complaint with the Crime Branch.

A probe into the case has been initiated by the Mumbai Cyber Crime Branch. The police are cautioning everyone to be careful and not to respond to any calls from numbers unknown to them. These details make it significant because this comes at a time when online scams against weak-willed individuals, especially the elderly, are increasing at a scary rate, highlighting dangers that have come with the digital space.