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29-year-old Bengaluru man falls victim to telecom scam, loses ₹14 lakh after being put on ‘digital arrest’: Report
A 29-year-old man in Bengaluru fell victim to a sophisticated scam involving fake CBI and telecom officials.
In yet another cybercrime incident, a 29-year-old man from western Bengaluru was tricked into transferring over ₹14 lakh to fraudsters who impersonated telecom and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials in a sophisticated scam, the Deccan Herald reported.
The victim, identified as Atishay Pareek (name changed), a local businessman, received a call on September 25 at around 2:05pm. The caller, claiming to be from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), identified himself as Rajesh Mittal and accused Pareek of being linked to illegal activities, including money laundering, the report said. The caller mentioned that a complaint had been filed against him in Maharashtra.
Despite Pareek denying any connection to the phone number in question, the fraudster escalated the situation by transferring the call to someone pretending to be a CBI officer in Mumbai. The caller created a sense of urgency, telling Pareek he needed to appear in person for an investigation that day. When Pareek explained that he couldn't travel immediately, the scammer suggested an online video interrogation instead, the publication stated.
To make the scam more convincing, the fraudster claimed that an HDFC bank account was opened in Pareek’s name, which had been used for a 6-million-dollar transaction. He was told he would be under constant surveillance. The fraudsters then instructed Pareek to download the Signal messaging app for a “video statement,” a common tactic used in “digital arrest” scams, the report added. Once the statement was recorded, they pressured him to transfer 80 per cent of his bank balance to an ‘RBI account’ for verification.
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Between September 25 and October 2, Pareek transferred a total of ₹14.57 lakh. The scam only came to light when Pareek reported it on October 3, and a case was registered by the authorities who are now investigating the matter.
There have been increasing instances of cybercrimes happening in Bengaluru, especially those involving courier firms and digital arrests.
