E-Paper
Cyber crime: Using real IDs of army personnel, conmen duping people online
Following the tip off, the crime branch recently arrested five youths with large number of SIM cards.
Cyber cheats have now found a new way to cheat people online. They are using data of army personnel to cheat people on online selling platforms.
Intelligence agencies alerted the police after they discovered this fraud. Following the tip off, the crime branch recently arrested five youths with large number of SIM cards. The youth used to collect identity proofs of army men for duping people.
Police officials said that the cyber cheats secure data of army personnel, including taking their identity proofs in different ways. This includes approaching the army personnel for selling them cheap SIM cards in cantonment areas with attractive offers.
“They give lucrative offers on buying SIM cards like ₹200 free recharge on single SIM card. They then collect identity proofs of army personnel on pretext of activating SIM cards. These proofs are then used to dupe common people on online selling sites where people trust and hold the defence service personnel in high regard,” they said.
Mudit Agarwal of South Malaka was approached online by a cyber conman posing as army man. He even sent him an identity proof of an army personnel. Mudit was shocked when he lost ₹2.50 lakh from his bank account.
Similarly, a trader Basu Soni of Malviya Nagar was duped. So were dozens of others.
Police officers of Prayagraj cyber cell said that such incidents made them wonder as to how cyber conmen were using real identity proofs and details of army personnel for duping people. Subsequent investigations revealed that cyber frauds were fooling army personnel to get their identity proofs and other details, they said.
The identity proof including phone numbers, photos of army personnel come in handy for these cheats to convince people on social media sites and dupe them, they said.
“The cyber conmen after posing as army personnel on social and online selling sites would make it appear that they selling their goods as they were being transferred. Subsequently, people would be lured to share their bank details and OTP for buying goods at cheap rates,” said officials.
They said: “People should not share their bank details or any password to anyone under any circumstances. Cyber cell is continuously engaged in tracing and busting gangs involved in duping people online. Cash of many cyber fraud victims has also been returned in many recent incidents with help of bank officials,” said SP (crime) Satish Chandra.
