The phrase “courtroom drama” frequently refers to made-up situations that are portrayed in motion pictures or television series. However, a real-life case of cyber fraud in Bengaluru has brought this concept to a horrifying level of realism. Cybercriminals built a fictitious online courtroom, conducted a phony trial, denied bail, issued a fraudulent court order, and eventually defrauded a 59-year-old CEO of Rs 59 lakh in an uncommon and sophisticated scam.
The victim received fast assistance from the police, who blocked his bank account and filed a report with the cybercrime helpline at 1930. The stolen money, according to a senior official, has been moved to a number of bank accounts and UPI IDs, and steps are being made to freeze the money.
According to KJ Rao, head of litigation at a multinational firm (MNC) and resident of CV Raman Nagar, the incident happened on September 12 between 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. It’s interesting to note that, in contrast to regular cyber fraud situations where Hindi is more frequently used, the scammers only spoke English.
On September 11, Rao received an automated call at work from an unknown number threatening to disconnect all of his cell numbers. This was the start of the scam. After that, he was given over to a man who claimed to be from Mumbai’s Colaba crime branch and charged Rao with money laundering. The con artist stated that although Rao had no connection to Canara Bank, an account connected to his Aadhaar card had been opened there.
Rao attempted to disconnect the call, but instead got a WhatsApp video call from a person sitting in what looked like a police station, dressed in a uniform. Rao offered to turn himself in at the Indiranagar police station, believing his Aadhaar details had been exploited, but he was advised against it since the local authorities would supposedly be unaware of his situation.
After that, the conversation was transferred to a caller impersonating a CBI agent, who informed Rao that he was under “digital arrest.” Rao went home, locked himself in a room, and was monitored by Skype as per their instructions. Via video conference, the con artists simulated a court proceeding, complete with a “judge” and “prosecutors” outlining the made-up accusations against him.
Rao was informed that, in compliance with a “court order” and Reserve Bank of India norms, he needed to transfer Rs 59 lakh to many accounts. The con artists kept an eye on him all night long, preventing him from getting assistance. Rao, who was living alone in Bengaluru while his family was in Mumbai, moved Rs 50 lakh and Rs 9 lakh to two different accounts the next day.
Rao discovered he had been tricked when the con artists ended the Skype conversation, and he reported the crime right away to the Indiranagar police station.
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