Udupi Professor Falls Victim To Fake Parcel Scam: How To Stay Safe?

In another instance of a Fed-ex-related scam, a 33-year-old resident of Karnataka's Udupi, an assistant professor lost Rs 7.9 lakh. A case has been registered at Udupi's Manipal station under sections 66(C), 66(D) of the Information Technology Act and IPC sections 419 and 420 and the investigation is ongoing. The victim namely Namrata was defrauded by scamsters demanding money for police verification purposes. The victim received a call on June 22, 2024, from a cyber criminal impersonating a FedEx employee.

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Scam: Fake MDMA Drug Bust & Police Verification

The victim was contacted by the fraudsters on June 22 when she got a call from a person named Sanjay Kumar claiming to be a FedEx employee. She was informed that a parcel had been intercepted containing five Iranian passports, five debit cards, two kilograms of clothes, and 150g of drugs namely MDMA. The parcel, the caller said, was addressed to her.

The cybercriminal threatened Namrata that an FIR had been registered with Mumbai police in this regard against her name. When Namrata showed signs of being in panic after hearing the news, she was connected to another person impersonating a Mumbai police officer.

“The caller also shared a forged FIR copy and connected the victim to a person posing as an official from the cybercrime wing of the Mumbai police. He was informed that his Aadhaar details had been fraudulently used for money laundering and that he was required to share his bank details and also transfer some amount to verify his account,” Times of India quoted the Karnataka Police department as saying.

She was asked either to visit the Mumbai police station or cooperate online in connection with the FIR, Namrata opted for online cooperation. She was instructed to download the Skype app. On the video call, Namrata was asked to divulge details of her Aadhaar card and bank debit cards. Then fraudsters went on to demand the victim to transfer Rs 7.9 lakh claiming that it would be a pre-approved personal loan on the credit card that would be used for police verification purposes. Namarata transferred the money, after which she realised her folly and reported the incident to the police department.

How Not To Fall For Online Scams

Thoroughly verify the caller's identity, especially if they claim to be from a government agency or a major company. Verify the authenticity of any employer calling on behalf of banks or financial institutions before committing to financial agreements. Your sense of suspicion should be heightened if someone is calling for a sense of urgency on your behalf by threatening legal consequences.

Users should never share personal information like Aadhaar or bank details over the phone or online unless one is sure of the recipient's identity. Even if you don't share OTPs or bank details scamsters can dupe you off your money if you install any malware on your phone unknowingly. So one should not download any unfamiliar apps or even click on unknown links sent by strangers. Use updated antivirus software, anti-spyware, and a firewall to protect your computer from potentially harmful files.

If you suspect a scam, report it immediately to the police or cybercrime department and your concerned bank immediately as they can try to prevent the loss. Stay updated about new happenings in the world of cybercrime to stay ahead of scamsters.