Digital Arrest Alert! Bengaluru Techie Loses Rs 11.8Cr in TRAI Scam

Bengaluru: Technology on one side has made life easy for everyone in a lot of aspects, it also has a flip side which is cyber crime and online scams. Scammers use different tactics and try to access sensitive information by posing as someone else. A new scam that people have been falling prey to, is a TRAI Call Scam. A Bengaluru techie lost a whopping Rs 11.8 crore after he was taken in ‘digital arrest’. 

Digital Arrest Alert! Bengaluru Techie Scammed of Rs 11.8 Crore

A 39-year-old software engineer became a victim to a "digital arrest" scam and lost ₹ 11.8 crore when fraudsters impersonating police officials claimed that his Aadhaar card was being misused to open bank accounts for money laundering, police said on Monday. The fraud occurred between November 25 and December 12, they said.

Bengaluru Digital Arrest: How it Happened

According to police, in his complaint, the victim alleged that on November 11, he received a call from a person who claimed to be an officer of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The alleged officer claimed that his SIM card, which was linked to the Aadhaar card, was used for illegal advertisements and harassing messages.

The fraudster further alleged that a case was registered in connection with this in Mumbai's Colaba Cyber Police Station. Later, he got a call from a person claiming to be a police officer alleging that his Aadhaar details were being misused to open bank accounts for money laundering, the FIR stated.

The fraudster warned him to keep the matter confidential and also allegedly threatened him that if he did not cooperate with the virtual investigation, he would be physically arrested. Then, he also got a call from a person asking him to download the Skype app following which a man, allegedly dressed in Mumbai police uniform video-called him and claimed that a businessman had opened a bank account using his Aadhaar to conduct transactions worth ₹ 6 crore, the FIR further stated.

However, on November 25, another man in police uniform called him over Skype and alleged that his case was being heard in the top court and threatened to arrest his family if he did not comply, according to the complainant. Citing a fake Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines, the fraudsters allegedly asked him to transfer funds to certain accounts on the pretext of "verification purposes" or face legal consequences.

Online Scam with Bengaluru Techie, Case Registered

According to the FIR, the victim transferred a total sum of ₹ 11.8 crore in multiple transactions to various bank accounts over a period of time, fearing arrest. However, when they started demanding for more money, the victim realised that he had fallen prey to fraudsters and lodged a complaint with the police. A case has been registered under the IT Act and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for cheating and cheating by impersonation, police said, adding that further investigation is underway.

TRAI Issues Warning, Alerts Public of Scam

The TRAI Call Scam is very popular and several people across the country have been scammed by this. A text message has been sent by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) clarifying that they do not call anyone, to discontinue or block the contact numbers and that this is a scam in their name.

The message reads, “TRAI never sends any messages or calls to report illegal activities for verification/disconnection of mobile numbers. Be cautious of such messages/calls coming in the name of TRAI and consider it as a possible fraud. Verify any such messages or calls with the Customer Care of your mobile service provider and report it to the Department of Telecommunications through Chakshu module on Sanchar Saathi platform – https://sancharsaathi.gov.in/sfc/ or to the Cyber ​​Crime Portal of Ministry of Home Affairs https://www.cybercrime.gov.in.”

(Inputs from PTI)