Report Wire

Tag: cybercrime

  • Center Cautions Citizens Not To Fall Prey To Fraudulent Calls Impersonating TRAI |

    The Center on Wednesday cautioned citizens not to fall prey to fraudulent calls impersonating officials from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). There have been numerous instances where scammers, claiming to be from the telecom regulatory body, threaten people that their numbers will be blocked soon unless they give certain personal information.

    “It has been brought to the notice of TRAI that a lot of pre-recorded calls are being made to citizens claiming to be from the TRAI,” the regulatory body said. The TRAI further clarified that it does not initiate communication with customers regarding mobile number disconnection through messages or otherwise.

    “TRAI has also not authorized any third-party agency to contact customers for such purposes. Therefore, any form of communication (call, message or notice) claiming to be from TRAI and threatening mobile number disconnection should be considered a potential fraudulent attempt and must not be entertained,” it advised.

    The government also encouraged citizens to report suspected fraudulent communications through the Chakshu facility on the Department of Telecommunications’ Sanchar Saathi platform. “For confirmed instances of cybercrime, victims should report the incident at the designated cyber crime helpline number ‘1930’ or through the official website,” said TRAI.

    Moreover, the disconnection of any mobile number due to billing, KYC or misuse if any, is done by the respective telecom service provider (TSP). Citizens are advised to be vigilant and not panic to fall prey to suspected fraudsters. TRAI said they should cross-verify such calls by contacting the authorized call centers or customer service centers of the respective TSP.

    Meanwhile, the regulatory body has directed access service providers to take concrete measures to curb misuse of messaging services, effective from September 1. The telecom authority mandated them to migrate telemarketing calls starting with 140 series to the online distributed ledger technology (DLT) platform, latest by September 30, for better monitoring and control.

  • Himachal Horror: Man Loses Rs 5.34 Lakh To Cyber ​​Thugs In Hamirpur |

    New Delhi: As cyber frauds reach alarming heights, a local resident became the latest victim when scammers posing as cyber police officials threatened him with arrest. They falsely claimed his Aadhaar card was being used in illegal activities, officials reported on Saturday.

    How did the fraud begin?

    Bal Chand Rajput, a resident of Galod in Hamirpur district received a call on July 23 from someone claiming to be a FedEx Courier Service employee, reported PTI. The caller informed him that an illegal parcel bound for Taiwan had been seized by the Customs Department and his Aadhaar card had been used to make the shipping payment of Rs 15,250. Rajput filed his complaint on July 26.

    Fraudsters pose as DCP Crime Branch

    Shortly after, Rajput received another call on WhatsApp from someone claiming to be the DCP Crime Branch. The caller informed him that his Aadhaar card had been used in 18 different accounts linked to underworld and ‘hawala’ businesses, Rajput added in his complaint.

    Rajput Transfers Rs 5.34 Lakh to Scammers

    The caller also told Rajput that CBI and RBI officials would investigate all his accounts and that if any evidence of illegal activities was found, he could face seven to nine years of imprisonment. Fearing arrest, Rajput transferred Rs 5.34 lakh to the account shared by the fraudsters over the phone call, according to his complaint.

    Amount Refunded Within Five Days

    Superintendent of Police (SP) Hamirpur Bhagat Singh said the cyber crime cell acted on Rajput’s complaint and successfully had the amount refunded to his account within five days. “The police immediately froze the accounts in which the money was deposited and further transferred, and in three days presented a copy of the complaint on the cyber portal in the court, following which the court issued an order for the release of the money on August 1,” SP Singh said, as quoted by PTI.

    Ongoing investigations

    “I was duped by being threatened with drugs, ‘hawala,’ and underworld connections, but thanks to the prompt action of the police, I have received my money back,” Rathore said. Further investigations into the matter are ongoing, Singh added.