Noida: 67-yr-old woman falls victim to cyberfraud, duped of ₹65 lakh

A 67-year-old resident of Jaypee Wish Town in Sector 128 was allegedly defrauded of ₹65 lakh after fraudsters posing as law enforcement officials manipulated her into transferring money to their bank accounts, police said on Tuesday.

According to police, the woman said she received a call on July 13, 2024, from Amit Kumar claiming to be from an international shipping solutions company in Mumbai. The caller informed her that there is a courier containing illegal items including credit cards, passports, and drugs, in her name.

Manipulated through video calls and intimidation tactics, the woman said she revealed sensitive financial information and also transferred large sums from her account.

“The caller falsely informed her that a courier containing illicit items had been addressed to her after which, she agreed to seek assistance from the authorities. A video call ensued, during which she was interrogated for 47 minutes by someone claiming to be a police officer. The callers, aware of her status as a senior citizen, manipulated her by expressing urgency and threatening her with arrest,” police explained.

“Over the course of two days, the scammers continued their intimidation tactics, keeping her on video call for 56 hours while monitoring her movements. They falsely claimed that her bank accounts were compromised and coerced her into revealing financial information. Fearing arrest, the woman complied with their instructions and transferred ₹65 lakh from her accounts to various accounts controlled by the fraudsters,” the police officer added.

An FIR was registered against one unidentified person under sections 308(2) (extortion), 318(4) (cheating and fraud) and 319(2) (cheating by personation) of BNS and provisions of the Information Technology Act.