‘Fedex’ scam in Bengaluru: Retired Lt. Colonel loses ₹73 lakh - Report

A 74-year-old retired Lieutenant Colonel was scammed out of ₹73 lakh by fraudsters posing as FedEx and police officials.

Published on: Jul 14, 2024, 12:00:17 IST

By Yamini C S

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A 74-year-old retired Lieutenant Colonel from Vasanth Nagar, Devansh (name changed), was defrauded of ₹73 lakh in a sophisticated FedEx scam, according to a complaint filed with the East CEN crime police on July 5.

The scammer put the victim on a Skype call for his “digital arrest”.

On June 13, Devansh received a call from an unknown number where the caller posed as a FedEx executive, The Times of India reported. Claiming that a parcel in Devansh's name contained illegal items like passports and drugs, the caller informed him that a case had been filed against him with the Delhi police and that an officer would be in touch shortly.

READ | Bengaluru man falls victim to courier scam, loses savings of ₹1.9 crore: Report

Minutes later, Devansh received a WhatsApp video call from someone claiming to be a senior police officer. The scammer, dressed in a police uniform and situated in what appeared to be a police station, falsely informed him that his Aadhaar details were involved in a money laundering case, and that he was under digital surveillance, the report stated.

The scammer then put Devansh on a Skype call for his “digital arrest” and instructed him to transfer money to various bank accounts for an investigation mandated by the Supreme Court. Fearing arrest and trusting the fraudulent “officer”, Devansh transferred ₹73 lakh to five different accounts by June 26, the publication added.

READ | Hyderabad man loses ₹12 lakh after falling for FedEx scam, case booked with cyber police

When the promised return of his money did not materialize, Devansh realized he had been deceived and reported the incident to the police. A senior officer revealed that they have managed to freeze ₹30 lakh from the fraudsters' accounts, and investigations are ongoing to recover the remaining funds and track down the perpetrators.

These courier-related scams are becoming a frequent occurrence in Bengaluru, with a 30-year-old employee from a local private company being swindled out of a staggering ₹1.9 crore recently. These cases also prompted the courier firm, FedEx, to clarify in April that it never requests personal information in any of its communications from its clients.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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